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The of to Ameteuei Aoveoturess 

(Et^e Autobiograpljy of (Estfjcr (Sray. 



ABRIDOED ANn-^DITED BY 

ELIZA BE TH ^KINGSBURY. 


O- 




1898 , 



THE EDITOR PUBLISHING CO., 
PIKE BUILDING, 

1898. 


TWO COPIES RECEIVED 


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OOPYKIGHT, 1898 , BY 
THE EDITOR PUBLISHING COMPANY. 



CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER I. 

PAGE. 

Early Life 9 

OPIAPTER II. 

Journalist 22 

CHAPTER III. 

Business Woman ,39 

CHAPTER IV. 

Home 47 

CHAPTER V. 

Book Agent 56 

CHAPTER VI. 

Guide at the World’s Fair .... 70 

CHAPTER VII. 


Further Experiences at the Fair . . 79 

CHAPTER VIII. 


A Night at the Fair .* 102 

CHAPTER IX. 

Last Days at the Fair 117 

CHAPTER X. 

Private Secretary 130 


vi 

Contents. 


Actress 

CHAPTER XI. 

PAGE. 

. . 141 

CHAPTER XII. 

Traveling Companion . . . 

. . 162 

Home . 

CHAPTER XIII. 

. . 181 


T/<l,E op /^/T\/iTEUfl /'OU^fiyUH^SS. 


the autobiography op Ksthbr Gray. 









Cale of an Amateur Abuenturess. 

Ct^e Autobtograpl^y of (Estf^er (Sray. 


CHAPTER I. 

EARLY LIFE. 

Although I do not admire the dry 
and stereotyped fashion of biogra- 
phers who begin their narratives with 
a statement of the time and place of 
birth, parentage and early life of 
their subjects, still, as no more natur- 
al way of introducing myself to my 
readers occurs to me, I will state 
briefly that my native place was a 
small but enterprising town in Indi- 
ana. Here my father was country 
editor for many years, from which 
position he easily drifted into poli- 
tics. After minor honors he was fin- 
ally elected to Congress, and the time 
“ when we were in Washington ” was 


10 An Amateur Adventuress. 

ever afterwards referred to by the 
family in as reverent a manner as if 
we had said “ when we were in Hea- 
ven.’’ In this oflSce my father served 
one term and was a candidate for re- 
election, but the tide of popular 
opinion changed and, sweeping by, 
left him stranded. 

Our life at Washington had quite 
unfitted us for the quiet, humdrum 
life of our country town. My mother 
had been a gay society girl in her 
youth, but with a life of hard manual 
labor at home — for which she was 
totally unfitted — and an anxious 
straining to keep up appearances 
abroad, she had become a broken- 
down, peevish old woman while yet 
in middle-life. Father, once ensnared 
by the charms of politics, could not 
break loose from the chains, but con- 
tinued, and will continue to the end 
of his days, a politician, albeit an 
unsuccessful one. 

The chief personage of this narra- 
tive — ^myself — was to a degree the 


Early Life, 


11 


black sheep of this establishment. I 
had two handsome sisters, whom I 
was not too noble to envy, who were 
pushed forward on all occasions that, 
by marrying them off early in life to 
eligible parties, their future might 
be satisfactorily provided for and 
the home economy simplified at the 
same time. I, however, small, awk- 
ward and homely, was tucked away 
in a corner on social occasions, and 
made to do duty as lemonade-maker, 
or waitress, or entertainer of child- 
ren — anything, in fact, to fill up a 
hole. I, though not affectionate nor 
demonstrative in my nature, saw more 
clearly, perhaps, than any of the rest 
the pitiful hopelessness of my parents’ 
lives. I had a great notion of stoical 
endurance, and scorned to open my 
lips to complain, although I did scold 
sometimes — little vixen that I was — 
and tyrannized over the younger chil- 
dren to such a degree that they near- 
ly broke my heart by openly express- 
ing their preference for handsome 


12 An Amateur Adventuress. 

Mag and Sue, who petted them in 
their leisure moments but never had 
the care of them. 

My one chum was a little boy named 
George. George was a sturdy, large- 
hearted lad and was very fond of me. 
There was an innate gentleness about 
him that made him a good playmate 
for a girl, but he was not a bit girl- 
ish. We played horse a great deal 
and climbed trees, or spent whole 
afternoons on the roof of our wood- 
shed, where we read, or studied, or 
played with the little rat-terrier be- 
neath by dangling a ball fastened to 
a string and drawing it up just as the 
dog jumped for it. 

At the back of our house a long, 
clover-covered hill sloped toward a 
pond. At the foot of the hill was a 
fence with quite a wide gap where 
several boards had been torn off, and 
it was a very exciting pastime for us 
to roll down hill with our eyes closed, 
and imagine we were going straight 
through that gap into the pond. How- 


Early Life. 


13 


ever, we always managed either to 
stop just short of the opening, or to 
roll up against the fence on either 
side. 

Another favorite play of our earlier 
years was to imagine ourselves cows, 
w'hen we would crawl about on all 
fours, nipping off the clover with our 
teeth and chewing up whole mouth- 
fuls at a time. I remember how sweet 
and juicy the clover tasted, for, under 
the stress of imagination, for the time 
being, we were really cows and tried 
to judge all things from a cow’s 
standpoint. 

George’s father had been an Epis- 
copal clergyman in earlier years, but 
was now a hopeless invalid. He was 
a fine scholar, and taught George and 
me Latin and French. We children 
were translating our Caesar lesson to- 
gether one day when George looked 
up suddenly and said : ‘ ‘ Esther, when 
we grow up I’m going to marry you.” 
“Indeed you’re not!” I answered, 
quickly. “I’m going to marry an 


14 An Amateur Adventuress. 

Unknown, who will be a nobleman in 
disguise! ” “I should think you 
were old enough to know that we 
don’t have noblemen in this country,” 
returned George, with a boyish air of 
superiority. “Oh, he’ll be a foreign- 
er,” I answered; “and I’ll live in a 
castle in Spain or Italy! ” “Yes, I 
guess it will be one of those castles 
in Spain that George William Curtis 
talks about, ’ ’ responded George, with 
a chuckle. “Ma says they’re the 
same as castles in the air! ” The wit 
and, indeed, the truth of this speech 
I did not appreciate until some years 
afterward. 

My elder sisters were finally mar- 
ried, and when I was seventeen I was 
sent away to a seminary to be “ fin- 
ished off.” Here my life really be- 
gan. Though naturally shy, I was. 
bright and witty, stood high in my 
classes, and, though not a general 
favorite, had a few friends who quite 
idolized me. Here I met an aristo- 
cratic young swell from an Eastern 


Early Life. 


15 


college who had opened a law office 
in town, and who took my youthful 
fancy. I had aristocratic notions 
myself, partly imbibed in Washing- 
ton during my childhood, partly in- 
herited from my mother. The young 
aristocrat and I became good friends 
— very good friends. He was so suave, 
so polite, and had such an elegant re- 
pose of manner with his slow, East- 
ern drawl, and I — I suppose I pleased 
him with my oddities, for he assured 
me that I was certainly unlike any 
girl he had ever known before. He 
had beautiful eyes, large, liquid and 
blue, and curly golden hair as soft 
and beautiful as a girl’s. Upon my 
impulsively remarking that I had al- 
ways longed for curly hair, he laughed, 
took out a small pair of scissors, and 
snipping off a lock behind his ear, 
handed it to me, saying that if all 
longings were as easily gratified, this 
would be a contented world indeed. 
“Such knowledge of the world,” 1 
thought; “such philosophy!” He 


16 An Amateur Adventuress. 

did not, howeA^er, ask for a lock of 
mine in return; but I did not wonder 
as I viewed my straight, coarse locks 
in the glass that evening, but only 
considered it a delicate bit of thought- 
fulness in him not to draw attention 
to the contrast by mentioning mine. 

After some months of marked at- 
tention, the young attorney informed 
me that he was engaged to an East- 
ern heiress, and that he supposed our 
pleasant romancing was at an end, as 
the young lady’s brother was coming 
to visit him. He added that, per- 
haps, he should have informed me 
sooner of this bond, but he knew I 
was too sensible a girl ever to think 
of marrying him. “I should hope 
so! ” I returned, quickly, and then 
pressed my lips tightly together and 
went to the window. When I could 
control myself, I turned around, and 
in a firm voice, with as much dignity 
as I could command, told him that 
although it was not a question of 
marriage, I should never have re- 


Early Life. 


17 


ceived his attentions had I known of 
his engagement, and that his conceal- 
ment of the fact could not but re- 
move my high opinion of him as a 
gentleman of good breeding and fine 
feeling. Hereupon he tried to mum- 
ble some words of apology, and for 
the first time in his life appeared 
awkward and ill at ease. Then I 
shook hands and said good-bye, and 
rushed to my room, where I sobbed 
the night away, more from mortifica- 
tion than from disappointed love. 

Disgusted, but at the same tinie 
deeply pained, I grew sadly pessi- 
mistic for one of my years. My wit- 
ticisms grew sharp and biting, and I 
wrote melancholy bits of doggerel in 
the solitude of my room, while in 
company I was apparently very gay, 
although my tone was rather loud 
and my speech rather forced. In 
fact I would have died rather than 
have allowed any one to guess my 
trouble. This was my last year at 
school and I studied very hard, de- 


18 An Amateur Adventuress. 

termined to be valedictorian of my 
class; but, alas! as Christmas time 
approached I learned, to my bitter 
disappointment, that the funds for the 
rest of my schooling had failed to 
materialize, and I must go home pre- 
pared to stay. 

And now I would fain omit the 
mention of the rest of that year at 
home, but truth compels me to record 
even my gravest faults, and I can only 
beseech you to be as charitable as 
possible in your judgment of me. I 
was so restless, so dissatisfied, so ir- 
ritable, that my mother told me I was 
ruining the happiness of the family 
and driving her into her grave; and 
my father said that if I continued to 
give way to irritability I would land 
in an insane asylum. I was ugly. I 
sneered at everything ; I chafed under 
the monotonous home tasks. A rest- 
less, vague ambition gnawed at my 
heart. I longed for some earnest, 
congenial work to occupy my morbid 
brain. Perhaps I might have light- 


Early Life. 


19 


ened my burden by confiding my sor- 
row to my mother ; but it seemed to 
me, in my unhappy state, that instead 
of seeking the cause of my wretched- 
ness she had turned against me be- 
cause of my morose behavior — fool- 
ish, self-centered thought ! 

I secured a few private pupils, and 
thus earned a little pin-money. In 
the meantime, my ambition was tak- 
ing shape within my brain. I had 
always enjoyed writing bits of verse, 
and essay -writing had been my easi- 
est exercise at school. ‘ ‘ I will write, ” 
I thought. “I will make a name for 
myself, and what I lack in genius I 
will make up in perseverance; ” and 
so I sat up in my room and wrote. I 
smashed the dishes in my haste to get 
them wiped and put away, and rushed 
to my room and wrote. I hurried 
back from my pupils and grudgingly 
performed home tasks awaiting me, 
as they interfered with my secret oc-, 
cupation. I kept pencil and note- 
book by me, hushed the children if 


20 An Amateur Adventuress. 

they talked to rae, and, indeed, would 
ecarcely let the poor things play 
among themselves when they were in 
my charge. Then I sent off my 
poems (?) and romances to the pub- 
lishers of the leading magazines, 
keeping a register of them in a book 
where I marked when and to whom I 
had sent them, and when they were 
returned. Yes, they were returned, 
but as fast as they came back from 
one publisher I would send them to 
another. For awhile there was a fas- 
cination about this constant shifting. 
It seemed like a game of chance, and 
though I was always losing, still the 
possibility of winning led me on . And 
the elegantly- worded answers amused 
me for a time. There is something 
soothing to a disappointed writer to 
learn that “the return of this article 
does not necessarily imply lack of lit- 
erary merit.” It serves as a sort of 
. prop to his pride, so to speak. I tried 
to keep this occupation a profound 
secret, and would creep out to mail 


Early Life. 


21 


articles when the family was not 
about; and I blushed guiltily when 
the pert young assistant postmaster 
handed out articles returned, with a 
significant glance at the name of the 
paper or magazine in one corner. 
Why, O why will the editors so cruelly 
expose to the public the misfortune 
of their would-be contributors, by 
printing the name of their publica- 
tion on the outside of the returning 
envelope ? 

But alas! the novelty of tliis en- 
terprise finally wore away. I sighed 
as the articles came back, and be- 
came more and more despondent. 1 
wrote but seldom, and the articles 
sent were few and far between — and 
still they came straggling back. I 
was getting to be a perfect devil in 
the household, and, shedding many se- 
cret, bitter tears over my failure to 
be daughterly, I determined to start 
out in the world, to forget myself in 
contact with mankind, and to win my 
way in some field or other. 


CHAPTER II. 


JOURNALIST. 

My father’s long experience as an 
editor had won him some very pleas- 
ant friends in that profession . Among 
these was the editor of a new evening 
paper in a large city of a neighbor- 
ing state. Therefore, when I told 
him that I felt it my duty to support 
myself, and that I had an inclination 
towards literary pursuits, he thought 
of this friend and at once wrote con- 
cerning a situation for me. Finally 
a favorable answer came, and the 
place offered was that of assistant 
office clerk! I felt insulted at first 
at the inferior position, but became 
more reconciled on being told that 
every one in this profession must 
serve an apprenticeship. So I bravely 
started out. 

Ah, me! how homesick I was for 
the first three weeks ! Eight, and 
22 


Journalist. 


23 


sometimes ten hours in a dingy office, 
broken by a hasty lunch in a cheap 
restaurant at noon, then back to lonely 
lodgings at night, where there was no 
friend to cheer my tired soul. In a 
crowded cit}’ — but alone. How the 
realization of this oppressed me! 
Strange faces meeting me at every 
turn; each one, blind and deaf to all 
else, rushing on to the attainment of 
his own ends. Were I to be run over 
in the crowded streets, a line would 
be devoted to the fact in the pages of 

The Great Western '' some one 
else would step into my place and the 
world would whirl on as usual. Not 
a gap would be left as I was swal- 
lowed up in the seething vortex of 
city events! 

During the day, fortunately, I was 
too busy to think of myself, but in 
the evening I was more alone with 
my thoughts than ever. I had gone 
to a cheap boarding-house to save ex- 
pense. My room was very tiny, fur- 
nished only with a folding lounge, a 


24 An Amateur Adventuress. 

chest of drawers and a single chair, 
and I was obliged to make my toilet 
in the bathroom. The landlady was 
stingy and not over neat, and the 
boarders I despised as coarse in- 
feriors. 

Gradually, however, I became some- 
what reconciled to my surroundings, 
and took a keen pleasure in the rush 
and drive of city life and in my own 
independence. Hf^me letters were 
eagerly awaited and greedily read. 
Among them once I found a letter 
from my old boy-friend, George, who 
had always been like a fond brother 
to me. “George is a good fellow, if 
he is a little, soft,” I thought, in a 
sort of patronizing way, as I slit open 
the envelope. The letter, indeed, 
proved his goodness, for it was full 
of kind thoughts and kind wishes for 
me, and in it he mentioned a little 
book he had sent me, in order, he jok- 
ingly remarked, that I might not to- 
tally forget him. In the letter he 
mentioned, also, that he was about to 


Journalist. 


25 


attend a medical college in Chicago. 
“I’m glad of that,” I thought, lofti- 
ly, “for George is rather unsophisti- 
cated, and college life will do him 
good ; ’ ’ and then I sighed as I thought 
of my own hard experience, dropped 
a few hot tears and went to bed to 
lose my sorrow in a long, sound sleep. 

One day it occurred to me to write 
up for the paper an amusing recipe 
for omelet, which I had overheard, and 
this I did in so spicy a manner that 
I w'as soon afterward offered the posi- 
tion of reporter. I shall never forget 
my first expedition in this capacity. 
It was to secure a report of the pro- 
ceedings of the Ladies’ Philosophical 
Society, which was to hold a public 
meeting to discuss plans for erecting a 
home for the aged poor. “This is a 
simple matter, ” I thought, as I seated 
myself at 1:30 p. m. sharp, the time 
for opening the meeting, ready to put 
into practice the knowledge of short- 
hand which I had gained since my 
advent to C . But half a dozen 


26 An Amateur Adventuress. 

women were in the hall when I arrived 
and I grew decidedly fidgety as it ap- 
proached two o’clock and the hall w'as 
only sparsely filled. However, at two 
the president called the meeting to 
order and stated the object. Then be- 
gan an animated discussion of plans 
feasible and otherwise. Various mem- 
bers were called to order and motions 
made and withdrawn ; but although I 
diligently scribbled, now in shorthand, 
now in long hand, a record of the pro- 
ceedings, I could not for the life of 
me tell what progress had been made 
during the discussion. While I was 
thus busily employed the clock struck 
three and I gathered up my notes and 
precipitately left, for my report was 
to be in by half-past three as the pa- 
per was printed by five. 

When I seated myself at my desk 
in the office, a chill came over me as 
I found my scribblings were almost 
wholly unintelligible; but I wrote from 
memory as well as I could a faithful 
record of the proceedings and handed 


J ournalist. 


27 


it to the city editor who glanced over 
it, took his blue pencil and marked it 
out from beginning to end, writing 
beneath, “The Ladies’ Philosophical 
Society is holding a meeting this af- 
ternoon to devise plans for founding 
a home for the aged poor. Upon go- 
ing to press no definite plan has been 
adopted.” I returned to my desk 
crestfallen to await further summons. 

My next experience was decidedly 
different. Word came in that a Ger- 
man out of w'ork had committed sui- 
cide at his home and as no other 
reporter was at hand, at my earnest 
request I was dispatched to learn the 
particulars. I threaded my way 
through the squalid streets where 
gloomy tenements loom up on either 
side. At last I turned up an alley 
strewm with garbage, and mounting a 
rickety and slimy pair of stairs, I 
stopped before a door at the head of 
the landing to take breath. My heart 
beat fast as I stood there, but before 
I had a chance to knock, the door was 


28 An Amateur Adventuress. 

flung open rudely by a gaunt, scowling 
woman who gruflPly asked me what I 
wanted. “Does Mrs. Schenk live 
here?” I timidly inquired. “I’m 
her, vat yer want?” she replied, 
glaring at me with her sunken black 
eyes. “I heard you had lost your 
husband, and wanted to know if I 
could do anything for you,” said I, 
improvising a story as I w^ent along. 
“Nothing ez I knows on,” replied the 
woman curtly; “ I never been a beg- 
gar yet already and don’t tink I vill 
be how. ” “ You find plenty of work ? ’ ’ 
I ventured to enquire. The woman 
gave a kind of a snort as she replied, 
“Plenty o’ vork ? O yes, plenty o’ 
vork till zwelf uhr in de night und get 
fifty und sixty cent a day fort.” 

By this time a little, pale-faced, 
shaggy-haired girl with a terrible ul- 
cer on her neck had poked her head 
through the open door, followed by 
several other hollow-eyed, dirty- 
frocked children, the oldest, with the 
wrinkled face of an old woman, still 


Journalist. 


29 


busily sewing on some broad-cloth. 
The mother, perceiving them, with a 
snarl more savage than human, cuffing 
them right and left, sent them tumb- 
ling back into the room. “I can’t 
stand here, ’ ’ she said sullen ly ; “I got 
ter sew; ’ ’ and she slammed the door in 
my face. My first feeling was one of 
relief to lose sight of that scowling 
face and sound of those hard, gutteral 
tones and, what was by no means least, 
to have terminated a sickening odor 
which had been stealing from the 
room. My next feeling was chagrin 
at being bafiied in my errand. Before 
decending I knocked at the door 
on the other side of the landing 
and, after waiting and repeating the 
knock several times, was met by 
a shamefully ragged, dirty young 
woman with a babe in her arms, who, 
upon my asking the time of Mr. 
Schenk’s funeral, told me I’d better 
ask Mrs. Schenk and shut the door. 
Determined to learn more, I picked 
my way across the filthy lane to a 


80 An Amateur Adventuress. 

stairway where stood a grinning young 
female of very pert ways who told me 
with an accompaniment of filthy words 
and curses that Schenk was a — old 
sot and Mrs. Schenk was a heap bet- 
ter off without him, adding that she 
supposed that he would be buried the 
next day but that the city would have 
to take care of him as nobody else 
would. Shocked at this young wom- 
an’s speech and oppressed by all this 
hopeless wretchedness and filth, I 
returned to the office to write up a 
most doleful account of the after- 
noon’s experiences — which, by the 
way, was cut down to one-fourth its 
length and Mr. Schenk’s full name 
added from the directory, before ap- 
pearing in print. 

These were the first of many repor- 
torial expeditions widely diverse in 
nature. Being naturally very shy and 
sensitive I hated to interview stran- 
gers, and on each occasion worked 
myself up into a horrible fit of ner- 
vousness before I started. In gathering 


J ournalist. 


31 


news we were taught that our supply 
was to be regulated by the character 
of the public demands ; that what was 
demanded was news, and that present- 
ed in the most attractive form. Thus 
sometimes we trod very close to the 
dangerous realm of sensationalism. 

Several months after my unpleasant 
experience in the slums, the managing 
editor was seized with a severe attack 
of pneumonia. By this time I had 
gained the confidence of the editorial 
staff and was allowed much responsi- 
bility. A stirring evangelist had for 
two evenings occupied the pulpit of 
one of the prominent orthodox 

churches of C and to me had 

fallen the duty of writing up the ser- 
vices. This young man, a traveling 
representative of a book concern by 
profession, was the son of a prominent 
New York divine and had been 
educated for the ministry himself but 
had preferred a business career. He 
had introduced himself to the minister 
of the church above mentioned, who 


32 An Amateur Adventuress, 

in early years had been associated 
with his father in church work and, 
having heard that the young man had 
gained quite a reputation as an evan- 
gelist in Pennsylvania, had asked him 
to address his congregation on those 
two evenings in a similar capacity. 

A few days after these services I 
was eating lunch in a restaurant when 
a young real estate agent, whom I had 
met several times, entered with a 
stranger and both took seats at my 
table, the stranger being introduced 

as Mr. K , an insurance agent 

from New York. We soon mentioned 
the young evangelist, at whose name 

Mr. K started, and said: “He! 

What’s he been doing here? ” Then 
followed an account of the evangelist- 
ic services, at the conclusion of which 

Mr. K said, “Ah ! ” with a very 

mysterious accent and a very myster- 
ious smile. I asked him if he were 
acquainted with the young man, and 
he answered slowly, “Well, yes — yes, 
quite well acquainted with him. In 


Journalist, 


33 


fact, I was associated with him in the 
same business for two years.” We 
expressed surprise and were immedi- 
ately eager to hear about the talented 

young man. But Mr. K for some 

reason demurred. Finally he said hesi- 
tatingly that his recollections of the 
young man in question were anything 
but pleasant. In fact, he was sorry to 
say it, but he feared we had been very 

much deceived. “Mr. K is in a 

delicate position, ” thought I. “He 
evidently does not wish to be a tale- 
bearer, but just as surely has infor- 
mation concerning the evangelist 
which we ought to know;” and so, 
with little regard for his delicacy of 
feeling, my reportorial enthusiasm 
prompted me to urge him to disclose 
his knowledge. 

Mr. K ’s remarks in answer to 

my questions were more suggestive 
than actual statements of fact, but 
from them I inferred that the so-called 
evangelist, because of serious esca- 
pades, had been sent away from the 


34 An Amateur Adventuress . 

Theological Seminary without his di- 
ploma; that he had, moreover, been 
dismissed for dishonesty from the 
company to which Mr. K also be- 

longed; and that he was in fact an 
altogether improper person for the 
position which he had lately held and 
which he had gained through his 
father’s prestige. When I heard this 
my indignation fairly boiled and bub- 
bled; whereupon Mr. K , who was 

evidently a very peaceable gentleman, 
said in a conciliatory tone, that he had 
no doubt that the young man had 
many excellent qualities but that he 
did hate to see a respectable com- 
munity so imposed upon. “How- 
ever, ’ ’ he added, ‘ ‘ I should very much 
prefer that my name should not be 
used in connection with this matter. 
The people will undoubtedly learn the 
young man’s true character sooner or 
later.” By this time lunch was over 
and I hastened to the office in a burst 
of indignation to write up a blazing 
exposure of the true character of the 


Journalist, 


35 


so-called evangelist, which article, 
not having the careful eyes of the 
managing editor to pass judgment 
upon it, soon found its way into print. 

This, as one may imagine, stirred 
up quite an excitement among the 
congregation of the church where the 
young man had officiated. Early 
next morning about a dozen members 
of the congregation called ex officio 
to inquire as to the source of our in- 
formation and to express themselves 
more or less strongly concerning the 
unlikelihood of the story. I was 
called down every few moments to 
answer their questions and hear their 
charges and I grew exceedingly ner- 
vous as the morning wore on, espe- 
cially as all the members of the stajff 
seemed to have suddenly acquired a 
peculiar grudge against me and ad- 
dressed me in a more and more surly 
manner each time I descended. I gave 
each caller a faithful account of my 

interview with Mr. K , considering 

it a point of honor, however, to con- 


36 An Amateur Adventuress. 

ceal his name. The minister had 
meanwhile called upon the city editor, 
who was managing editorpro tem.^ and 
demanded a retraction of the st^ry, 
stating that he was in frequent com- 
munication with the evangelist’s 
father, having known him for years, 
and that the account could not pos- 
sibly be true. A few days later the 
pastor brought letters which proved 
that the story was a false and mali- 
cious report. Meanwhile, not wishing 
to draw friends into trouble, I had 
obstinately refused to divulge the 
name of either insurance or real estate 
agent ; and the managing editor, who 
was now convalescing, having heard 
of the aiSPair, sent orders for my dis- 
missal, which orders were communi- 
cated to me without delay. 

Dismissed in disgrace! I felt under 
the spell of a nightmare as I dragged 
myself slowly to my lodgings. I had 
written a note to the real estate agent, 
requesting the full name and address 
of Mr. K , but had received no 


Journalist. 


37 


answer. I could eat no supper but 
hastened to my room where I paced 
the floor too excited and feverish to 
shed tears. While thus occupied I 
suddenly perceived a letter on the 
chest and opening it found it wms 
from George. He was now at medi- 
cal college and wrote me an interest- 
ing account of his life there. The 
whole letter was pervaded by a tone 
of such warm friendship and hearty 
interest in me that I was somewhat 
comforted and said, “Here at least 
I have a true friend.”. 

Meanwhile “ T/te Great Western" 
had inserted an article retracting my 
statements and referring the matter to 
the inexperience of a young reporter 
who in the absence of the managing 
editor had slipped her article into 
print. The next evening the busi- 
ness manager called with kind words 
and a note from the managing editor 
offering me again a position as ofllce 
clerk, saying that the trouble would 
be overlooked as due to my inexper- 


38 An Amateur Adventuress. 

ience. But I was now on my dignity 
and refused to be taken back in an 
inferior position, saying I had another 
situation in view, which was true, as 
an honest fellow-boarder had oifered 
me a position as book-keeper and 
cashier in his humble butter-and-eggs 
establishment* 


CHAPTER III. 


BUSINESS WOMAN. 

The next day, therefore, instead of 
returning to the newspaper office, I 
entered upon my new duties in a 
gloomy apartment in one of the dirty, 
noisy streets near the river. My heart 
sank within me as I contrasted this 
position with the one so recently 
held; but, plucking up courage, I 
blew the dust off my desk, as I could 
find no duster, gathered up the bits 
of paper which were scattered here 
and there and threw them into a crate 
which served as waste-basket, tried 
several pens, all of which were rusty, 
cleaned one and settled down to work. 
My knowledge of book-keeping was 
more limited than I would have cared 
to have my employer know, but I 
hoped to gain all necessary informa- 
tion from a careful examination of the 
methods of my predecessor. In this. 


40 An Amateur Adventuress. 

however, I found myself stranded, as 
the last book-keeper had been shame- 
fully negligent and had left the books 
in a great tangle. Moreover, he had 
used many abbreviations which I 
found difficult to decipher. Indeed, I 
was in the depths of despair during 
that first week of business life, work- 
ing busily until late at night in 
bringing the books up to date. If I 
had been desolate upon my first ar- 
rival in C I was despairing now. 

In my reportorial excursions I was 
rarely sent into unpleasant quarters, 
but from the commission establish- 
ment I walked each night several 
blocks in fear and trembling before 
I reached my car. 

The only redeeming feature of this 
position was the queer types of char- 
acter which I observed here ; but even 
these proved more of an annoyance 
than a pleasure. Next door was the 
shop of a sturdy, simple-minded 
black-smith. He was of the pure 
Saxon type, tall and broad-shouldered, 


Business Woman. 


41 


with ruddy cheeks, big, bulging blue 
eyes and curly flaxen hair. He had a 
lisp in his speech and was in intellect 
an overgrown child. He confided 
facts about his family and business 
with a delightful naivete , and when 
angered would dash about in a pet, 
like a spoiled five-year-old. He was 
exceedingly proud of his strength 
and was evidently an authority on all 
pugilistic matters, and betting on 
Sullivan and horses was his favorite 
pastime. 

Here were many dirty, uncouth 
customers, and an overbearing clerk 
with a nasal twang, who tried to 
boss me in his employer’s absence. 
Once a customer spoke to me in a 
rude, bullying manner. I wanted to 
throw the box of eggs at him, but re- 
strained myself (it was too big to lift, ) 
put on my blandest smile and an- 
swered in my most dignified manner. 
Another addressed me as “ My little 
dear.” I drew myself up like a brist- 
ling bantam hen and with the most 


42 An Amateur Adventuress. 

frigid dignity replied, “I am not your 
dear, sir, if you please.” “Well, 
what if I don’t please, what will you 
say to that? ” he answer^ed with a 
coarse chuckle. “If you are a gen- 
tleman you will please, and I am sure 
you are,” I returned, scarcely dis- 
guising the irony of the tone. “ O 
well, you needn’t get so peppery,” he 
retorted, and turned away. 

A drummer once attempted to joke 
with me about my “feller,” and 
“Sunday night,” but I answered 
him so curtly that he stopped aghast, 
and exclaiming: “By George, you 
haven’t got any sense of humor, have 
you! ” left the room. A little later 
a tall, gaunt “ butter-and-eggs ” 
woman, with watery eyes and lower 
jaw drooping, came up to my desk 
with a shambling walk and in a me- 
chanical, expressionless voice, told 
me an endless tale of poverty and 
domestic difficulties with her “old 
man.” To crown all, one day my 
employer, who was a widower, asked 


Business Woman. 


43 


me to marry him. I refused him in a 
dignified manner, whereupon he be- 
came very angry and told me I could 
not stay another moment in his es- 
tablishment. I said quietly, “Very 
well,” and put on my hat. Then he 
said I should not go, and stormed and 
scolded until I was afraid he would 
attract the attention of outsiders. 
Presently a customer entering claimed 
his attention, and I took advantage 
of the occasion to slip out of the 
store, and hastened to my boarding- 
place where I began rapidly packing 
my trunk for home. 

While I was thus occupied the gig- 
gling, squint-eyed maid rushed breath- 
lessly up-stairs to inform me that the 
newspaper gentleman wished to see 
me. “ Good gracious, Mary,” said I 
scowling, “didn’t you ever see a gen- 
tleman before? They’re not so common 
as they used to be hut — ask him to 
send up his card . ” She soon returned 
and handed me the card of Mr. 
W , the business manager of “TTte 


44 An Amateur Adventuress. 

Great Western.'' I hastened to the 
parlor, where several boarders were 
congregated. I was very glad to see 

Mr. W , and said ^ so. He took 

my hand very cordially and said he 
had come to see me on a’matter which 
he would like to talk to me about in 
private. My hopes rose. Perhaps 
he would urge my resuming my pos- 
ition on the paper, or, better still, 
perhaps he had found a market for 
“Laura’s Lost Love,” for I had con- 
fided to him my literary ambitions. 
Acting from a sudden impulse, I led 
him up to my room where I had left 
my various manuscripts scattered 
over trunk, floor and chairs, all my 
other belongings being packed. Mr. 

W gave an astonished look at the 

fluttering papers and asked me if I 
had been taking an inventory of stock. 
I laughed, and then sighed, and told 
him that as my manuscripts got 
rather musty, I thought it a good 
plan to take them out and give them 
an airing occasionally. Then he tried 


Business Woman. 


45 


to say something comforting — I forget 
what — and looked at me so kindly 
that I opened my heart to him and 
told him of my struggles for literary 
fame, and of the finale in the biitter- 
and-eggs establishment. He seemed 
deeply interested, and when I had 
finished he sprang towards me, caught 
my hands and told me he felt he must 
express to me his love and sympathy; 
that he had so admired my pluck 
from the first and wanted to put an 
end to my struggles with a happy 
home — and a lot more of nonsense. I 
was astonished and disappointed. 
The tears sprang to my eyes and I 
pushed him from me and sputtered: 
“‘Love and sympathy!’ Fiddle- 
sticks! I don’t want love and sympa- 
thy, but money and fame ! That’s like 
you men. As soon as you find a 
woman whom you admire for charac- 
ter and ambition, you think she is only 
waiting for the word to annihilate 
herself by merging her interests and 
her life in yours. O, thank you! ” I 


46 An Amateur Adventuress. 

continued, as I saw the pained look 
on his face; “I am hard and ungrate- 
ful. Thank you, but I am not good 
enough for you,” I added with a half 
sob as he bowed silently and left the 
room. With feverish haste I finished 
packing my trunk, ordered a baggage- 
man to take it to the depot, paid my 
bill to the astonished landlady and 
departed to wander about the city 
until train time. 


CHAPTER IV. 


HOME. 

Imagine my mother’s astonishment 
when I rushed into her arms late that 
night with tears running down my 
cheeks, hugging and kissing her and 
exclaiming again and again that I 
was so happy to be at home once 
more. Six weeks I remained at home, 
and my behavior must have seemed 
angelic to my parents in comparison 
with my former ways. Indeed, I 
wondered at myself, for at first I 
found no difficulty at all in being 
good; but as time wore on, alas! the 
old restlessness took possession of me 
and, resist as I would, I felt the mor- 
bid gloom creeping over me. I must 
hasten away or I should spoil my 
patched-up reputation. 

One evening as I returned from 
making calls I found the household 
in a great hubbub. The cause was 

47 


48 An Atnateu?' Adventuress . 

disclosed in a letter from Mrs. B , 

of St. Louis, the wife of a wealthy 
congressman and a former friend of 
ours in Washington, in which she in- 
formed mother that she would pass 
through our town on her way east in 
about ten days and, if convenient, 
would make us a little visit on the 
way. Mother was in the depths of 
despair. “ To think,” she exclaimed, 
wringing her hands, “that I, the 
elegant Mrs. Gray, should be obliged 
to show myself to my friends as my 
own cook and bottle-washer.” “I’ll 
wash the bottles, Ma, ” said little 
Arthur ; but mother took no notice of 
this and continued: “And what we 
shall have to eat, I’m sure I don’t 
know, and my last grosgrain silk is 
ripped up — I feel as if I should go 
distracted! ” I immediately set my 
brain to work writing out bills-of-fare 
for each meal ; but this only made 
mother more nervous than ever so I 
carefully put them away in my diary, 
for future use if required, feeling 


Home, 


49 


that my ability to help was quite un- 
appreciated. 

Those awful ten days of preparation 
I shall never forget, nor the more 
awful week which followed, while 
our guest was with us. Mother had 
worked herself nearly to death and 
was wild with a nervous headache 
and I was sitting up in my room 
twirling my fingers and feeling like 
a fool, for in trying to help I had 
blundered in nearly everything I had 
undertaken, or mother thought I had 
— which amounted to the same thing. 
Suddenly there was a ring at the door. 
I hurried down stairs to find mother 
pale and trembling and the children 
scrambling to reach the back door 
and get out of sight. Mother could 
only think of the dreaded guest, and 
was much relieved when I ushered in 
my friend George, who had just re- 
turned from the medical school to 
pass a short vacation at home. 

I was glad to see George and told 
him so frankly. I eyed him closely 


50 An Amateur Adventuress. 

to endeavor to discover the hoped- 
for improvement, but could find no 
satisfactory change. To be sure, he 
seemed different. He was stiff and 
unusually quiet, bub I preferred the 
merry country boy of former times 
and again told him so frankly. He 
did not see fit to change his manner, 
however, so I concluded that I must 
be the sole entertainer, and launched 
out into a gay description of my life 

in C , in which I was written as 

a very large capital, and the business 
manager and various other acquaint- 
ances were woven into a brilliant 
Dramatis Personm. Finally George 
rose to go and I thanked him for call- 
ing, asked a few questions about his 
college life and wished him another 
pleasant term. He thanked me awk- 
wardly and left, and I did not see 
him again for a long time. 

Soon afterwards the dreaded guest 
arrived, bringing with her, to our con- 
sternation, a French maid. We had 
one spare chamber for Mrs. B , 


Home, 


51 


but what to do with the French maid 
"we did not know. It was finally de- 
cided, after numerous whispered 
consultations, that she should share 
my room — the only plan feasible, but 
one to which I decidedly objected. 

Mrs. B very prettily insisted 

that the maid wait upon us at table, 
as she did not wish to be deprived of 
the pleasure of the company of any 
one of us. The two small children, 
by promises of candy, were bribed to 
stay quietly away from the table and 
eat with the maid. Every meal 
brought poor mother from the kitchen, 
flushed and nervous, to the head of 
the table, and every night found us 
all deeply thankful that one more day 
had gone. Mrs. B was very en- 

tertaining and tried to make us feel 
at ease, but O, the French maid ! So 
polite and so humble! She insisted 
upon doing the chamber work, and 
upon coming out into our crowded 
kitchen and helping me with the 
dishes, and doubtless discovered every 


52 An Amateur Adventuress. 

broken dish and battered piece of 
furniture which we had tried to hide 
from view. To add to our misery, 
prolonged rains spoiled our plans for 
pleasant drives, and I think we should 
all have been ready for the insane 
asylum had not a telegram hurried 

Mrs. B away on the sixth day 

after her arrival. 

I, I alone, was thankful that she 
had come. For, learning that I was 
anxious to secure some position, she 
said that one of the Lady Managers 
of the World’s Fair, a very dear 
friend, had told her of a plan for lady 
guides at the Exposition, and said 
she had no doubt that, with her in- 
fluence, I could secure this position. 
I sprang from my seat and wrung 

Mrs. B ’s hand. “ 0 if I could, I 

should be so happy! ” I exclaimed. 
So I immediately addressed a letter 
to the Board of Lady Managers, ap- 
plying for such a position. 

Mrs. B departed and I waited 

long for an answer to my letter, mean- 


Home. 


53 


while busying myself by rubbing up 
my knowledge of German and French, 
making an elaborate collection of 
newspaper clippings concerning the 
World’s Fair, studying architecture, 
painting, electricity, the manufacture 
of textiles and glassware — and, in 
fact, trying to master nearly all the 
arts and sciences at once. Finally, 
one day in April I received a letter 
from the Board of Lady Managers, 
and tearing off the cover read : “ The 
Board of Lady Managers received six 
hundred applications for positions as 
guides. Out of these twenty-five 
were to be chosen, and I regret to 
tell you that your name is not among 
the number. You are in a very hon- 
orable majority.” My heart sank 
within me. I was fairly numb with 
disappointment. I appreciated the 
thoughtful manner in which my fail- 
ure was announced to me, but that 
lessened my grief very little. 

I was suddenly aroused from the 
depths of despair by a letter which 


54 An Amateur Adventuress, 

threw me into a flutter of delight — 
an article of mine had been accepted 
at last ! It had been sent to a small, 
struggling magazine, and was enti- 
tled: “ The Ancient Greeks as Viewed 
by a Realist.” Moreover, a check for 
two dollars was enclosed in the letter, 
and I patted it proudly as the first 
tangible result of my long literary 
struggle. 

I had written the article in an 
ironical vein, as I supposed, and con- 
sequently it represented anything 
but my own views in the matter. 
However, it was interpreted literally 
and roused quite a storm of opposi- 
tion from the critics, and this, in 
turn, created an army of realistic 
writers in its favor. The latter 
hurled bitter anathemas upon the 
“idealistic supporters of an effete 
past,” and were themselves lashed 
with bitter words by the opposition. 

Long the storm raged back and 
forth, and brought the poor little 
magazine into a prominence it had 


Home. 


55 


never hoped to gain. I felt hurt, 
however, at the severity of the critics, 
and wrote the magazine editors that 
the critics had entirely misunderstood 
me, and I enclosed for publication a 
carefully written article setting forth 
my true position in as clear language 
as I could command. 

The editors replied that as I had 
unintentionally made my second art- 
icle quite witty and amusing they 
would publish it, although I must not 
be surprised if the critics persisted 
in misrepresenting my position. 

When the second article was pub- 
lished I was surprised and greatly 
annoyed to perceive that, whereas 
the critics had persisted in under- 
standing my first article in a literal 
sense, they treated the second as if it 
were the choicest bit of irony. I 
despaired of ever making myself un- 
derstood, but as I received an extra 
five dollars from the editors I made 
no further complaint. 


CHAPTER V. 


BOOK AGENT. 

I soon looked about for something 
to occupy my time and decided to 
try to secure subscribers for a maga- 
zine which was then making an excel- 
lent cash offer to agents. I knew 
this step would shock my mother, so I 
set out the next week in a neighbor- 
ing town without mentioning the 
matter at home. In this town I had 
a friend, Mrs. Ludlow by name, and 
to her I went for advice and informa- 
tion. Under her direction I made a 
map of the town, which she filled in 
with the names of the residents in 
their proper localities. Thus equipped 
I started out. 

My first experience was certainly 
disheartening. I had a sample copy 
of the magazine and a subscription 
book in my hand, and with a quaking 
heart I mounted the steps of one of 

56 


Book Agent. 


57 


the most stylish residences. A star- 
ing maid met me at the door. “Is 

Mrs. D- in?” I asked. “What 

do you want? ” bluntly asked the 
maid. “I — I have a magazine — ” 
I began. “She doesn’t want any ” 
snapped the maid, and the door was 
shut in my face. I immediately 
tucked my magazine and blank book 
under my cape and knocked at the 
next door. As the door opened I 
found to my consternation that I had 
forgotten the name of the lady of the 
house. I was met by a sweet-faced 
girl, however, who, I felt sure, was 
not the maid, so I asked; “Is your 
mother at home? ” A look of suspi- 
cion passed over the girl’s face and 
she almost shut the door as she said; 
“My mother has been dead more than 
a year.” I apologized as well as I 
could and said that I was Miss Gray, 

of . The reputation of Miss 

Gray, of , evidently had not pene- 

trated as far as Johnsboro, for not a 
bit wider did the door open. “What 


58 An Amateur Adventuress . 

is your business?” asked the voice 
from the other side. “I have a 
magazine here,” said I, “which I 
would like to have you look at,” and 
I thrust the book in through the 
crack. I heard the pages turning 
and so I informed the girl of the sub- 
scription price and tried to enlarge 
upon the attractive features of the 
magazine. Have any of you readers 
ever tried to talk through a crack? 
If not, you can scarcely understand 
how arguments seem to lose weight 
and eloquence becomes trifling when 
sifted through that chilling breach in 
the wall. However, the girl said; 
“I'll go and ask Aunt Kate,” and 
shutting the door I heard her feet 
tripping upstairs. Meanwhile several 
people had stopped on the sidewalk 
to stare at me as I stood by the door, 
and I felt with a sort of telepathic 
instinct that eyes were watching me 
from every house on the opposite side 
of the street. Presently the door 
again opened a crack and my maga- 


Book Agent. 


59 


zine slipped out. “ Aunt Kate doesn’t 
care for any today, thank you,” said 
the sweet voice on the other side, and 
again the door closed. “ That kills 
my chances on this street for the pre- 
sent, ” I muttered. 

As soon as I turned a corner I con- 
sulted my rough map of the town and 
glanced at the list of names. “John 
Cole, widower,”! read. “Humph, 
seems to me I might have remem- 
bered,” I said to myself. I saw a 
comfortable-looking cottage ahead 
and read the name of Mrs. Carey on 
my map. “ I’ll tackle this place be- 
fore my courage entirely oozes out,” 
I thought. I knocked at the door, 
which was immediately opened by a 
pleasant-faced lady. “Is this Mrs. 
Carey? ” I asked. “It is,” answered 
that worthy woman, shaking my 
hand warmly. “I’m so glad to see 
you. Come right in and lay off your 
things.” I fairly gasped for breath. 
Such kindness to a canvasser was un- 
paralleled and unaccountable . ‘ ‘ Mrs . 


60 An Amateur Adventuress. 

Ludlow asked us to meet you here,” 
continued Mrs. Carey, taking off my 
hat and showing me into the parlor. 
“ Now let me introduce you to these 
ladies; Mrs. A., Miss L., Mrs. F.,” 
and so she went the rounds of the 
room, mentioning the name of each 
lady present but omitting to mention 
my own. I did not think of this until 
afterwards, however. We have just 
finished the prayer and the secre- 
tary’s report, ” said Mrs. Carey, “and 
if you are ready to speak to the ladies 
now we shall be very glad to hear you.” 
“Oh, you are holding a meeting,” 
said I, dazed. “Our regular weekly 
meeting occurs today,’ ’ answered Mrs. 
Carey. “Now I understand,” I 
thought. “They are members of the 
W.C.T.U., and Mrs. Ludlow, know- 
ing of their meeting, has asked them 
to give me a hearing if I happened in 
upon them while in session.” 

“Well, ladies,” said I, rising from 
my seat and fumbling my book, “I 
will not take much of your valuable 


Book Agent, 


61 


time but will be as brief as possible.” 
Murmurs of “No, no! ” ran around 
the room. Incomparable behavior 
towards an agent! “I have here a 
magazine,” I continued, “ which is 
destined to become — nay, is one of 
the leading publications of the land. 
Its domain is broad, and not only art, 
literature and science are here repre- 
sented by leading writers, but the 
burning questions of the day are 
given more than usual consideration.” 
“I would like to ask,” interrupted 
one lady, “if you do not think that 
the question of temperance is becom- 
ing more generally discussed than 
ever before?” “I do indeed,” I re- 
plied earnestly. “ Temperance in its 
broadest sense. Not merely the 
prohibition of strong drink which is 
often carried to an extreme of intem- 
perance ” — here some of the ladies 
violently shook their heads — “but a 
temperance in eating as well as in 
drinking, a temperance in all the 
duties and pleasures of life, in Ian- 


62 An Amateur Adventuress. 


guage, in society, in religion — but I 
am drifting from my subject,” I 
added hastily. “To return: This 
magazine is now sold for one dollar a 
year, which is a wonderfully low price 
for the class of literature which it 
offers.” “Don’t you think,” inter- 
rupted one of the ladies, “that our 
first duty is to subscribe for our tem- 
perance organ?” “Not at all,” I 
answered quickly. “ Your temperance 
organ treats of but one, or at the most, 
two or three of the great questions of 
the day, and by confining yourselves 
to it you are liable to become biased, 
whereas a magazine of general litera- 
ture will give you all phases of all 
questions.” 

By this time my magazine was be- 
ing passed from one lady to another, 
who looked it over with puzzled faces. 
Two ladies had announced their in- 
tention to subscribe for it when an 
old lady in the corner rose and said: 
“I don’t agree with the lady at all 
in what she says and don’t think she 


Book Agent, 


63 


is a true friend to the cause when she 
expresses herself as she did just 
now/’ “I hope the lady will excuse 
me,” said another rising, “but it 
seems to me, too, that she doesn’t 
stick to her colors very well.” “I 
do not pretend to have any colors,” I 
replied. A look of horror passed 
over the faces of'those present. ‘ ‘You 
doi’t stand by the white ribbon! ” 
they cried in chorus . “ No, I do not, ’ ’ 

I answered decidedly, secretly think- 
ing them a set of bigoted fools. Mrs. 
Carey stood up before me, her face 
pale with indignation. “You are a 
fraud,” she exclaimed, “ and we shall 
publish you as such! ” “Very well, 
madam,” I answered quietly, “do as 
you please. I didn’t come here to 
discuss temperance with you but only 
to present my book.” — “What!” 
cried Mrs. Carey. “You are — ” “An 
agent,” said I. Mrs. Carey hastily 
handed me my book and my hat and 
opened the door, through which I de- 
parted so suddenly that I collided 


64 A?i Amateur Adventuress. 

with some one on the other side. 
“Mrs. Ludlow!” I exclaimed. “I 
have been most rudely treated! ” 
“Impossible! ” exclaimed Mrs. Lud- 
low. “ Come back and we will 
straighten out matters.” Just then 
I heard an exclamation and saw Mrs. 
Carey greeting a tall, pale woman 
who had come with Mrs. Ludlow. I 
started away and had reached the 
gate when Mrs. Carey called me 
back. I looked around and several 
ladies appeared at the door, calling 
to me and waving their handkerchiefs. 
“Altogether the most remarkable be- 
havior! ” I thought; and my fond- 
ness for novel situations induced me 
to return. Never shall I forget the 
varying expressions on the ladies* 
faces as I re-entered the room. Shame, 
amusement and sympathetic interest 
each struggled for the mastery. One 
face alone was unchanged. On the 
countenance of the old lady in the 
corner was stamped marked disap- 
proval. 


Book Agent. 


65 


Mrs. Carey extended for herself 
and others a very pretty apology and 
explained that they had supposed me 
the temperance leader who was to 
lecture in town in the evening and 
meet with them in the afternoon. 
Then she introduced me to the real 
lecturer, and taking my note hook 
from me, secured as subscribers to 
the magazine the names of all present 
but one, for the old lady in the cor- 
ner would not enter her name. I 
felt somewhat consoled as I left with 
twelve names on my list, and I even 
promised Mrs. Carey that I would 
attend the lecture in the evening. 

The next morning I finished can- 
vassing the village of Johnsboro and, 
having an opportunity to ride to 
a neighboring town I departed 
with a note from Mrs. Ludlow to one 
of her friends and proceeded to map 
out the town and solicit names as I 
had done in Johnsboro. Slumpville 
was off the railroad and visitors were 
so rare that they were warmly wel- 


66 An Amateur Adventuress. 

coined. My note from Mrs. Ludlow 
was a passport to favor with the 
leading ladies of Slumpville, and as I 
did not wish to he considered a mere 
canvasser I generally found the op- 
portunity to mention the fact that I 

had lived in C , whereupon the 

ladies drew from me a rather lengthy 
account of the charms of that city. 
On this account I was anything but 
a “hustler” in canvassing, and the 
prolonged calls did not end in secur- 
ing subscriptions as often as I could 
have wished; hut I had a very nice 
time visiting and, having received 
invitations from several ladies to take 
meals and spend the night with them, 
I was in no hurry to depart. 

At the end of the next day I rode 
to a third town with a note of recom- 
mendation in my pocket, mapped out 
the place and applied myself strictly 
to business, securing eleven subscrip- 
tions as a reward for my exertions. 

When I returned home at the end 
of the week with thirty-eight sub- 


Book Agent. 


67 


scriptions on my list, I found Dame 
Rumor had gone before me and my 
mother met me at the door, declaring 
that I had disgraced the family. I 
told her she was governed by false 
pride, but by Sunday night I had 
about made up my mind to stop can- 
vassing. Monday morning, however, 
found me again “on the road,” as it 
was not easy for me to give up any. 
thing I had undertaken. 

This time I chose my own town as 
the scene of my operations, and during 
the week secured fifty-one sut scribers ; 
but I had a vague fear that half of 
these were given out of charity. I 
had nearly finished canvassing the 
fashionable portion of the town, with 
such good results that I approached 
the last house on the street in the 
best of humor. This was the resi- 
dence of the Presbyterian minister. 
The door was wide open and as I 
stood on the threshold a voice behind 
me exclaimed: “Stop! Stop! Don’t 
you go inside!” and I saw the 


68 An Amateur Adventuress. 

minister’s wife hurrying up the front 
steps. She had probably watched my 
calls from door to door from a neigh- 
bor’s window and evidently did not 
intend that a canvasser should enter 
her house alone, to appropriate bric- 
a-brac or otherwise make herself at 
home ! As I was not only a canvasser 
but also a proud and sensitive girl I 
was much mortified at the injunction. 
My embarrassment, however, was 
nothing to that of the minister’s wife 
when she recognized me. “My dear 
Miss Gray,” she exclaimed, “ please 
pardon the apparent rudeness, but I 
thought it was one of those horrid 
canvassers — . ’ ’ Just then she saw the 
sample copy of the magazine and my 
subscription book in my hand. She 
added hurriedly: “ But then, there are 
canvassers and canvassers, you know. 
You must come in and sit awhile or I 
shall never forgive myself for having 
addressed you so.” Thus urged, I 

entered the house, where Mrs. L 

ferreted out of me my errand and 


Book Agent, 


69 


declared that she really wanted that 
very magazine — that she was about 
to subscribe for it in fact, and so I 
entered her subscription in my book 
and left, feeling utterly mean and 
miserable. I hastened over to the 
poorer part of town and here I felt 
more at my ease, for I found the rude 
rebufPs which I frequently encount- 
ered, much easier to endure than the 
patronizing indulgence which I had 
in most cases received from my 
mother’s friends. 

My persistence in canvassing made 
my mother very unhappy, and I 
loathed the work myself. Hence, an- 
other Sunday spent under the influence 
of my mother’s pleadings decided me 
to stop at once, so I sent on my money 
and addresses to the publishing house 
and settled down to mope at home. 


CHAPTER VI. 

GUIDE AT THE WORLD’ S FAIR. 

On the twenty-fifth day of May I 
was surprised by another letter from 
the Board of Lady Managers and 
upon reading it shouted “Hurrah! ” 
and danced about the room waving it 
in the air until my gentle mother 
thought I had gone insane. “I’ve 
got it, I’ve got it, I’ve got it !” Icried. 
“I should think you had!” ejaculatd 
brother Ned, greatly amused. It 
was a formal announcement of my 
appointment as a guide at the Colum- 
bian Exposition and a request to 
report at once at headquarters in 
Jackson Park. This I did on the 
following day. I learned here that 
many prominent women had refused 
the position offered them as guide 
because of the meager salary, and 
thus there was this opening for me. 
We guides were under the charge of 

70 


Guide at the World's Fair. 71 

a delightful woman who had a cosy 
office near the West entrance of the 
Woman’s Building. Now followed 
several weeks of “Heavenly” enjoy- 
ment, as one guide expressed it, while 
we were learning our lesson. 

One of the guides and I went down 
the Plaisance together and we con- 
cluded that if our lessons at school had 
been as pleasant we would have been 
much better scholars. One of the first 
places which we entered was the 
Bedouin Encampment, where we saw 
the sheik (or, more exactly, the one 
who was said to be the sheik) gaily 
turbaned and with finely chiselled 
features, sitting in a tent smoking 
his long pipe, while his wife, an 
almond-eyed woman with the lower 
part of her face tattoed, favored us 
with a slow and graceful dance. In 
the Damascus palace also we were 
especially favored, as the young Turk 
gallantly lifted my friend and myself 
upon the very center of the high 
divan at the end of the hall, explain- 


72 An Amateur Adventuress. 

ing later that this was the seat of 
honor occupied only by princes in 
their native land. We learned that 
the thin bread which we saw made 
is called “krubs,” and that “thank 
you” is “kata heirach.” As we 
passed the Persian Theater, a Turk 
standing outside and advertising 
their modern Sampsons, cried out: 
“Greatest remarkable men on earth 
and greatest war-fighters, ” ending 
with, “ I am no lecturer, as you well 
know,” which remark caused a gen- 
eral smile. 

In our investigations in the street 
of Cairo we went into the Dancing 
Theatre . W e had not been there more 
than a minute when we pulled down 
our veils in shame, and the next min- 
ute we walked out again. We next 
entered the Temple of Luxor, and 
seeing a door at the side, investigated 
further. Here were dark passages 
and rooms representing tombs. In 
one of these was an immense chest 
or inclosure, decorated with Egyptian 


Guide at the World"' s Fair. 73 


characters. The darkness of the room 
shrouded it in mystery. Going to 
the further end of this huge structure, 
we saw a small lamp burning on top 
and a ladder leading up to it. A¥on- 
dering, womanlike, what was inside, 
I climbed up the ladder but could see 
nothing within but darkness, as the 
lamp-light was very dim. In a mo- 
ment someone sprang nimbly up the 
ladder and gallantly holding the lamp 
over the tomb asked if I would like 
to see. What I saw was nothing but 
a great empty bin. Disappointed at 
not seeing a row of mummies or a 
Pharaoh in state, and feeling rather 
ashamed of my exploit, I thanked the 
guard, as I supposed him to be, 
and he showed us back into the hall. 
Here I discovered he was not a guard 
but a bushy-bearded man with blue 
goggles. This discovery considerably 
embarrassed me as I had considered 
the guard only acting in his official 
capacity. Leaving the temple we 
thanked the gentleman for his kind- 


74 An Amateur Adventuress. 

ness and continued our investigations. 

My first boarding place was a brief 
and not over pleasant experience — 
full of unsavory odors and doubtful 
occupants, one class of which, be- 
longing to a family of insects with an 
unmentionable name, by their per- 
sistent midnight attacks, drove me 
first to sleeping on my trunk, and 
finally out of the house altogether. 

My second venture was more agree- 
able, being one of the many private 
dwellings which had been converted 
into “ hotels ” during the Exposition. 
The boarders, constantly changing, 
varied from four to fifteen in number. 
The constant quantities were: Mr. 
G., in charge of an exhibit at the 
Exposition, who boasted of a fat 
salary and not more than two hour’s 
work a day ; Miss M — , a postmistress 
at one of the State buildings at the 
Fair; Mr. C — , a jolly drummer, and 
your humble servant, myself. 

“ One has a wonderful opportunity 
to study human nature at the Fair,” 


Guide at the World^s Fair. 75 

remarked Mr. G — one evening at 
dinner, as we were relating our ex- 
periences of the day. ‘ ‘ Yes indeed, ’ ’ 
said I, “people have dropped their 
company manners and are bent only 
upon enjoyment.” “It’s delightful 
to feel so independent,” added Mrs. 
K — , a bright little “transient.” 
“ It’s such a relief to dress and act 
as one pleases and go where one 
pleases and know that that tyranical 
old dame. Society, has turned her back 
and has nothing to say against it.” 
“It does me good” said Mr. C — , 
the drummer, “ to see the handshak- 
ing of old friends who meet each other 
on the grounds for the first time in 
years, and most everybody takes 
things goodnaturedly and seems bound 
to have a regular picnic.” “Well, 
not everybody,” said the postmis- 
tress; “the crowding into the cars on 
the Elevated Road is something that 
tries men’s souls and women’s too. 
Today I saw a woman, pushed by a 
man at the gates, double up her fist 


76 An Amateur Adventuress. 

and give him a sound thump in the 
hack as he rushed in ahead of her. It 
was shockingly unladylike of course, 
but it did me good, for only last 
night a great, burly man from the 
rear pushed in past us, not caring 
whether he crushed us or not, and I 
did wish I was a big, strong man to 
take him by the collar and hurl him 
aside.” 

“I overheard something amusing 
on the L Koad last evening,” said 
Mrs. K — . “ Standing up in the car 

was a countrywoman with her fat 
rosy-cheeked daughter by her. Near 
by sat a lady, refined and neatly 
dressed. The lady’s veil attracted 
the attention of the countrywoman 
and she asked how much it cost. 
Upon receiving an answer she said 
decidedly, ‘ I’m going to get me one.’ 
Presently the veiled lady’s daughter 
sat down beside her. This young 
lady’s hat next claimed the attention 
of the woman standing, who said it 
was just such a one as she wanted to 


Guide at the World's Fair. 77 

get for her Sue. ‘ That’s the kind of 
hat you want, ain’t it, Sue? ’ she 
asked, turning to her daughter. Sue 
giggled bashfully and nodded assent, 
while her mother pursued her inves- 
tigations by asking the lady where 
she bought the hat and how much 
she had to give for it. Hearing the 
price, she ‘ lowed it was an orful sight 
to pay out,’ but added that Sue should 
have one if she wanted it, and Sue 
again modestly giggled assent.” 

“I had an interesting experience 
this evening,” said I. “I left my 
pass book and purse at the office and 
only discovered it when outside of 
the grounds. I tried to persuade the 
gateman to let me go back, but he re- 
fused. Then I told my story at the 
ticket office. A gentleman behind 
me passed over fifty cents and re- 
quested the ticket agent to give me a 
ticket. I turned to thank him and 
perceived that my benefactor was an 
odd-looking individual with colored 
goggles and a large slouch hat. I 


78 An Amateur Adventuress. 

thought he looked strangely familiar, 
and now I remember having seen him 
before in the Temple of Luxor.” 
“What a remarkable memory you 
must have, to be able to recognize 
again any of the thousands of faces 
which pass you every day ! ’ ’ ex- 
claimed Mr. G — . “Perhaps he was 
a remarkable man,” said the drum- 
mer. I blushed, for I had not told 
the boarders of my investigations in 
the Temple of Luxor. “ Now who 
knows but that may be the beginning 
of a romance!” exclaimed the post- 
mistress, who was inclined to be 
gushy. “I guess not, with that 
queer- looking codger as hero,” I ex- 
claimed indignantly. At this speech 
all the boarders laughed so heartily 
that I concluded I would say nothing 
more. 


CHAPTER VII. 


FURTHER EXPERIENCES AT THE FAIR. 

Naturally, the foreign exhibits at 
the Exposition interested me most. 
One day a Mexican gentleman showed 
us through one of the Mexican 
sections, and was delightfully enter- 
taining with his quaint English and 
manners of southern chivalry. Speak- 
ing of a picture in the Mexican 
section, we asked ; Do your skies 
really have such a deep blue color? ” 
He answered, ‘‘Ah Madam, yes, it is 
a heavenly blue, so deep, so clear;” 
and added that he had been in 
Chicago a year and could scarcely 
endure our winter. As we thanked 
him for his kind attentions, with a 
low bow and a wave of the hand he 
replied, “I am always mcrst happy 
when I can serve the ladies.” 

Am ong the foreign buildings I 
found none more interesting than the 


79 


80 An Amateur Adventuress. 

India building. I enjoyed as much 
studying the people, with their intel- 
lectual faces and cool white linen 
garments, as I did looking at their 
wares. One day two of us guides 
were looking curiously at their 
beautiful bric-a-brac, as well as at 
their hideous idols, when we thought 
we saw one of the latter standing full 
size before us. We walked around 
it several times and looked it over 
inquisitively from head to foot. 
Finally my companion, who was quite 
gay and venturesome, exclaimed: 
“Why, it even has a real hair mous- 
tache ! ’ ’ and she reached up to give 
that appendage a tweak, but immed- 
iately fell back with a shriek as the 
idol leaped into the air with a horrid 
shout and then turned into an Indian 
attendant and walked away. Although 
dreadfully weak in the knees, we 
left the building as soon as possible 
and sank down upon the steps of a 
neighboring cafe to recover breath. 

I have always wondered whether 


Further Experiences at the Fair, 81 

the Hindu was not a Mahatma, that 
mysterious individual of theosophy, 
and was not, at the moment of our 
investigations, far away, communing 
with his brethren among the moun- 
tains of India ! Whatever his position, 
I fancy that upon his return to 
Hindustan he gave doleful accounts 
of this benighted land of savages, for 
I afterwards learned that we were 
not the only ones who had mistaken 
these statuesque Hindus for idols! 

The Japanese section in the Manu- 
facture’s Building was also one of my 
favorite spots and I was delighted 
with the people. I fully believe the 
saying that the Japanese are the most 
polite people on earth, for they 
always seemed to be exceedingly 
courteous to each other and were so 
ready and painstaking in giving infor- 
mation and describing their customs. 
I was surprised to find them employing 
western methods so largely. Their 
public schools are patterned almost 
exactly after our system in the 


82 An Amateur Adventuress. 

United States. Native women teach 
in their kindergartens and a few are 
taking a university course so as to he 
able to fill higher positions. They 
have even exchanged their low 
benches for our high desks and fre- 
quently have their parlors furnished 
with European furniture. They had 
on exhibition a set of parlor furniture 
in European style but made in Japan. 

One of my earliest duties was to 
go to every restaurant on the grounds 
and from personal observation judge 
of their cuisine, style and cleanliness. 
I found that the names of eating places 
were legion, and I tramped and ques- 
tioned until I was foot-sore and 
tongue-weary. 

The foreign cafes were all interest- 
ing, none more so, perhaps, than the 
reproduction of the White Horse Inn 
which Dickens made so famous. 
This inn was built around a court, 
with a tap (which is English for bar, ) 
and public and private dining rooms. 
Pretty English waitresses with white 


Further Experiences at the Fair. 83 

caps and aprons served on the first 
floor and men waiters on the second 
floor. I was almost faint when I 
reached this place, but near by was a 
real Dutch house, with a big wind- 
mill attached, and here I was 
refreshed by a free cup of cocoa. The 
serving maids in Dutch costumes, the 
wainscoting of tile and the pretty 
Delft cups and saucers all helped to 
make this the most delicious cup of 
cocoa I had ever tasted. 

The sections of our own country 
were represented, among others, by 
the roof garden of the California 
building, where the wines and fruits 
of that State, as well as many delicate 
dishes were served ; by the homely 
and hearty New England farmers’ 
dinners on the Plaisance, where one 
could “eat as much as one wanted,” 
for fifty cents ; and by the southern 
meals served in the Kentucky building, 
where one could obtain gumbo soup, 
fried chicken and hominy, boiled ham, 
corn pone, and other southern dishes. 


84 An Amateur Adventuress. 

While I was in the Kentucky 
building, a colored man and wife 
attempted to enter the spacious dining 
room but were intercepted by the 
colored butler. “What yo’ want, 
sah? ” asked the butler. “We want 
dinner,” said the unwelcome visitor, 
pressing on. “No cullahd folks 
allowed in that room, sah! ” answered 
the butler in as imperious a tone as if 
his skin were as white as the whitest 
Caucasian. The visitors were evi- 
dently “ advanced ” and were inclined 
to insist upon their “rights,” but 
they were summarily ordered out of 
the building, and left, vowing 
vengeance upon the authorities. 

The first day I tramped over the 
grounds without being offered any- 
thing except the cup of cocoa as a 
sample, until towards night, when I 
reached Mrs. Hart’s Irish Village on 
the Plaisance, where I was served with 
the daintiest supper imaginable, that I 
might be able to speak from exper- 
ience, the lady in charge said. 


Further Experiences at the Fair. 85 

As I sat in the shadow of Donegal 
Castle and ate a delicate preparation 
of Irish moss my glance roved from 
the wishing chair to the druidical 
column with its well-worn thumb- 
holes and its mysterious Runic 
characters. The red rays of the 
setting sun shone through the trees, 
and the place with its calm and 
silence was a soothing retreat from 
the noisy crowds without. I was so 
imbued with the spirit of Irish myth 
that I should not have been surprised 
if an ancient druid had stepped from 
behind the trees. A gay tinkling 
aroused me from this revery and, 
looking out from this retired spot 
into the village street beyond, I saw 
the bright cheeked Irish lads and 
lassies dancing to the soft music of the 
zither. Much refreshed, I exchanged 
a pleasantry with the old Irishman 
who played the bag-pipe at the 
entrance, and was delighted that his 
answer was an Irish bull, delivered 
in the broadest of Irish brogues. 


86 An Amateur Adventuress. 

The next morning I resumed my 
tour of investigation on the Midway. 
Here, in a lunchroom which shall he 
nameless, as it was far from clean, 
upon my inquiring as to the bill of 
fare, a dirty, round-faced clerk 
motioned me to a chair with an 
elaborate wave of the hand and 
grinning, said: “My face is the bill of 
fare.” Looking at it I concluded I 
did not care to recommend a bill of 
fare so fat and greasy, and departed. 
At the Persian Theater I heard they 
served some dishes, and on inquiry 
was referred upstairs. Here the back 
part of the room was occupied by a 
counter where they served drinks, 
while the front part of the room was 
occupied by seats and a stage. On 
the stage a beautiful girl was danc- 
ing very gracefully to a solitary 
spectator, an old, grey-haired man, 
who was probably paying for this as 
a private performance. As I stood 
there a Frenchy looking girl came up 
from below and looked in. I ques- 


Further Experiences at the Fair. 87 

tioned her as to the performances 
and she held up her hands in holy 
horror, declaring that sometimes 
these Persian dancers carried on 
worse than at the theater in the street 
of Cairo. “I wouldn’t he seen here 
if there was a crowd,” she added, 
“hut as there was hardly any body 
here I thought I’d just peek in! ” I 
couldn’t help smiling at this outburst 
of human nature. In an oriental 
cafe farther on the head waiter 
olfered to give me a taste of a char- 
acteristic oriental drink, “mastic” by 
name, which offer I gladly accepted, 
remembering the mild, sweet rose 
sherbet which I had sampled else- 
where. The waiter presently came 
with a wine-glass nearly half full of 
a colorless liquid. He had also a 
similar glass half full of water which, 
upon being emptied into the other 
glass, immediately turned the liquid 
milk-white. Drinking it, I could 
only compare the concoction to liquid 
lire with a very peculiar flavor, and 


88 An Amateur Adventuress. 

innocently asked if it were a fruit 
j uice . “ O no, ’ ’ answered the waiter, 

“it is alcoholic in its nature and 
very appetizing in effect. It is much 
like the French absinthe, and the 
natives of Smyrna drink whole bottles 
of it at a time.’* I now hastened 
homeward as it was lunch time. 

In a few minutes I began to feel 
strangely light-headed — far more so 
than I had ever felt in my giddiest 
days. I devoutly hoped I was not 
about to disgrace myself by being 
found in Midw’^ay in a state of com- 
plete intoxication, but fortunately I 
soon recovered my equilibrium and 
reached the Woman’s Building in 
safety. 

The next evening at dinner I related 
this experience, which created 
considerable amusement among the 
boarders. “ Speaking of the Plais- 
ance,” said the postmistress, “I 
must tell you of the experience of one 
of my friends. She is a tall, quick, 
impulsive woman and was showing a 


Further Experiences at the Fair. 89 

young lady friend the sights. It was 
growing dusk as they approached the 
Turkish Mosque, and my friend 
grasped the shoulder of the young 
lady, as she supposed, and led her on 
as she pointed out the minaret. 
Suddenly looking down at her 
companion, she was startled to 
discover that she was dragging along 
a strange man. He, poor little fellow, 
was evidently half scared to death, 
doubtless thinking he was being 
towed in hand by a female highway 
robber. She left him with hasty 
apologies and found her young friend 
a short distance away where she had 
been quietly enjoying her chaperone’s 
strange actions. The latter did not 
seem inclined to explain the recent 
occurrence and so they proceeded in 
silence.” 

“ Ze Americahn ladee is so free,” 
remarked a handsome little Spaniard, 
a recent addition to our number. 
“ She go alone and act like a mahn.” 

She certainly makes excellent use 


90 An Amateur Adventuress. 

of her freedom and knows well how 
to take care of herself,” I returned 
with cutting dignity. “She is 
considered the equal of a man here 
and is all the more respected for her 
independence.” “The American 
girl has outgrown her swaddling 
clothes,” chimed in the postmistress, 
bristling up. While I spoke, the 
Spaniard was making deprecating 
motions with his hands, but at the 
speech of the postmistress he looked 
decidedly puzzled. “Pardon, pardon, 
ladees, ” he exclaimed, bowing and 
spreading his arms. “I no wish to 
offend you. Ze Americahn ladees 
are charman, loavlee, but custom ees 
deeferent in Espana. You will pardon 
me I know?” and he inclined his head 
while his white teeth glittered in an 
enchanting smile. Of course we 
pardoned him then and there. 

“I saw something very amusing 

last evening,” said Mr. G , who 

did not like to have the Spaniard 
monopolize the conversation. “A 


Further Experiences at the Fair. 91 

large crowd had gathered on the 
Plaisance and as it was moving 
towards the Woman’s Building, two 
young wags turned around and point- 
ing up into the air, exclaimed, ‘Oh! 
Look there! ’ Everybody turned 
around immediately and looked 
upw^ard. I followed the two young 
men closely and presently they 
repeated their performance. The 
wdiole crowd turned about again as 
one man and with upturned faces 
gazed into the heavens. The wags 
amused themselves in this way until 
they reached the end of the Plaisance 
and their efforts never failed to 
produce the desired effect.” “ People 
are just like sheep or monkeys,” said 

Mr. C , “whatever one does, the 

rest imitate.” 

The young Spaniard had been 
with us three weeks and had charmed 
us all with his agreeable manners and 
high-bred airs. To be sure, when I 
related some of my experiences as a 
guide, he looked at me quizzically. 


92 An Amateur Adventuress. 

laughed and paid that those were 
good stories, but I had no idea that 
he doubted my word and, in fact, 
soon forgot his manner. He was now 
often absent from dinner, explaining 
that his beautiful sister and her titled 
husband had come to the Exposition 
and that he dined with his relatives 
at their hotel. 

We were very proud to have with 
us a gentleman with such distin- 
guished connections and my delight 
may be imagined when, upon meeting 
the handsome little Senor on the 
grounds one evening on my way home, 
he asked me to dine with him, as his 
sister and her husband were to meet 
him later and he wished us to become 
acquainted. It did not take much 
urging to induce me to stay and we 
had an elegant dinner at the French 
restaurant. W e lingered a long while 
over the pastry and the fruit and the 
Senor over the wine, for I would not 
taste mine, but the relatives did not 
appear. The Senor finally said that 


Further Experiences at the Fair. 93 

they had probably mistaken the place 
and that we would find them at the 
Spanish building. 

I was a little uneasy at this unex- 
pected turn of affairs but walked 
down the lake front with him. He 
was a delightful talker and his broken 
English made his speech all the more 
charming. Therefore it seemed an 
incredibly short time until we r(eached 
the Spanish Building. We found it 
locked and apparently deserted; but 
this did not disconcert the Spaniard 
in the least and he suggested that we 
sit on the steps and wait awhile for 
the others. As we waited, the little 
Senor sidled up closer and grew 
confidential and then sentimental. 
Finally, he attempted to take my hand. 
Astonished, I tried to move away but 
found his arm around my waist. 

“Let me go, sir! ” I exclaimed in 
loud, indignant tones. Just then a 
figure stepped out from the shadow 
of the building, and before I knew it 
the dapper little Senor was rolling to 


94 An Amateur Adventuress. 

the bottom of the steps, and the man 
with the whiskers, goggles and slouch 
hat was offering to accompany me to 
the train. I thanked him but said I 
needed no assistance and started off 
alone. The stranger, however, in- 
sisted upon accompanying me and 
so we walked on together in silence, 
for in my shame and mortification I 
was in no mood for conversation. 
Reaching the gate. The Unknown 
bowed acknowledgement of my thanks 
and turned back. 

As I took a seat in the train I 
wished I had learned the name of my 
deliverer, and I lamented my foolish- 
ness in keeping silence on the way to 
the gate when it was in my place to 
make the walk pleasant to one who 
had performed so chivalrous an act 
for me. I sighed as I recognized my 
old self-centered narrowness. The 
next day’s events, however, again 
dispelled all thoughts of the strange 
Unknown. I should add that I 
never saw the Senor’s sister, whom I 


Further Experiences at the Fair. 95 

now regard as a myth, and that the 
Senor himself left our boarding house 
on the following day. 

A week after my experience with 
the Spaniard and the goggled 
stranger, I guided a German woman 
of considerable wealth and large 
heart, but of v/onderfully unsophisti- 
cated and unconventional ways. I 
spent several days with her and she 
made me have a very good time, 
dining me at the best restaurants at 
the Fair and taking me to the theaters 
in the evenings. Once she gave me a 
supper in a German beer garden on 
the Plaisance, where we had Frank- 
furter bratwurst, sauerkraut and 
Nurnberger beer, and I expected to 
be so permeated with German that 
my accent would improve at once. 
Then we went to see Ali Baba and 
from lack of room took seats in the 
gallery. The next -evening Frau B — 
wished me to go with her to 
“America” at the Auditorium, and 
for fear that we would not be in time 


96 An Amateur Adventuress. 

to secure seats, she suggested that 
we take sandwiches and eat them 
between the acts. To this I decidedly 
objected, so, doubtless thinking I was 
objecting to going without a warm 
dinner, she dined me on Hamburg 
steak before we left. At the Audi- 
torium we found standing room only, 
and before long I grew so faint that 
I had to sit down on the floor. 

In my services as guide I had 
many other amusing and delightful 
experiences. One day was spent in 
guiding two lovely Southern girls 
down Midway. They chatted merrily 
as we walked along and seemed 
thoroughly to enjoy their adventures. 
In the Dahomey village they were 
convulsed by the following episode: 

A woman entered with her husband, 
and with that patronizing air so 
common to our Americans toward the 
foreigners on Midway, she rubbed the 
brown, naked arm of a big negro, 
somewhat as she would the head of 
a big Newfoundland dog, saying 


Further Experiences at the Fair. 97 

“ Smooth! Smooth ! ” Thereupon the 
Dahomeyan grinned and, lifting up 
his big black palm, rubbed her cheek 
while he exclaimed, “Smoov! Smoov !” 
Her husband was evidently immensely 
amused and the woman was very 
reserved in her conduct during the re- 
mainder of her stay, which we noticed 
was quite brief. 

I observed more amusing instances 
of people’s ignorance in the Art 
Gallery than anywhere else. Almost 
the first sentence I heard there was 
from a woman who exclaimed, “ Well, 
I’ve wasted up a whole half day and 
haven’t seen half yet! ” Again, 
when I was guiding my f rau in the Art 
Gallery, two old country women came 
in and after looking about a few 
minutes, one said to the other, “Do 
you suppose they are hand painted? ” 
“No, they are only chromos,” 
returned the second contemptuously; 
“let’s go somewhere else — ” and 
they went! Soon afterward a pom- 
pous old gentleman entered with his 


98 An Amateur Adventuress. 

wife and daughter, and standing in 
the center he spread out his arms with 
a sizing-up-a-harn air and said : 
“There, take in both sides at once! ” 
It is to be presumed that they did so, 
for after gaping around for about two 
minutes, they left. 

In our office in the Woman’s 
Building we met many distinguished 
people. Among them were Madame 
Korin-Pogosky, in charge of the 
interesting Russian section; our 
countrywoman, the lovely Countess 
de Brazza who procured the loan of 
the Italian laces, and her friend, 
Madame Fannie Zampini Salazar, 
who in her lectures charmed Chicago 
people with her warm sympathy and 
sweet womanly heart; Mrs. Professor 
Magnusson, with her quaint Icelandic 
articles; Madame Hanna Korany, a 
Syrian, clad in soft flowing garments 
with a white zouave jacket embroid- 
ered in gold, and a creamy veil falling 
about her face in graceful folds, 
admired not only for her beauty and 


Further Experiences at the Fair. 99 

grace of manner but also for her 
brilliant intellect and warm impulsive 
speech; Mr. Siddhu Ram, a Hindoo 
of fine intellectual features, a Vedic 
missionary, who had come to this 
country to convert our depraved 
western civilization to the esoteric 
doctrines of the East. 

Besides these and many other dis- 
tinguished foreigners who passed in 
kaleidescopic change before our oflice 
window, the atmosphere fairly 
bristled with celebrities of our own 
land, not to mention the various 
Lady Managers who were a host in 
themselves . This latter body has been 
unduly slandered, having contained 
many broad, cultured and talented 
women — although it undoubtedly 
held as many who, blossoming sud- 
denly into prominence, were dazzled 
by their own greatness and knew 
not how to wield their power. I 
once heard a Lady Manager say in 
deeply distressed tones ; ‘ ‘Never before 
in my life have I been subjected to 


100 An Amateur Adventuress. 

so many social humiliations.” And I 
wondered, if, in petty strife for social 
recognition, they did not waste ener- 
gies which should have been directed 
to the common good of their body. 

We also found this office an excel- 
lent place to study human nature and 
saw and heard many amusing things. 
Our office window was labeled 
“Special Service;” which term 
included guides, interpreters and 
chaperones, but it was amusing to 
observe the different interpretations 
of that expression. People frequently 
asked whether we had a special song 
service there, or whether that was 
where Moody preached. Once wo 
overheard a man say he would like 
some beer, but didn’t want to go down 
to the Plaisance for it, and his wife, 
catching* sight of our sign, said, 
“ Here ! ‘ Special Service ’ — guess 

you can order it here;” but they soon 
found out they couldn’t. 

People often came to us to find 
lost friends ; they seemed to think 


Farther Experiences at the Fair. 101 

that we were either possessed of 
powerful magnets to draw friends to- 
gether, or were related to the seventh 
daughters of seventh sons, who pro- 
mise to restore lost property, lost 
lovers, etc., etc. 

One day a woman asked me: “ Is 
this the Ladies’ Building?” “It is 
the Woman’s Building,” said I. 
“Ladies’ Building,” she repeated, 
gently correcting me, and left with 
the air of having impressed upon me 
a great lesson. Another woman came 
up to our window and asked abruptly : 
“Ain’t this the East entrance?” “No, 
Madam, it is the West entrance,” 
replied the attendant politely. 
“West entrance? Well, where is the 
East entrance, tell me?’’ snapped the 
woman. “Right opposite,” replied 
the guide, and the woman departed 
satisfied, while the people smiled. 


CHAPTER VIII. 


A NIGHT AT THE FAIR. 

One night not long after I had 
guided my German frau, I attended 
a reception which Mrs. Potter Palmer 
held in the Woman’s Building, in 
honor of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Grant, 
a Russian princess, and other notables 
then at the Fair. I gained admission 
through the kindness of the lady who 
had charge of us as guides, and en- 
joyed the evening so much that nearly 
all of the guests had departed before 
I realized the lateness of the hour. I 
met a lady who lived near my boarding 
place and as she was also alone, she 
said she would be glad of my company 
home. I lost sight of her, however, 
and after searching for her in vain I 
hurried off alone. 

When I reached the gates at the 
station of the Elevated Road I found 
I had again left my purse in the 
102 


A Night at the Fair, 103 

office, BO I started back, running 
nearly all the way. When I reached 
the Woman’s Building, to my dismay 
I found it locked up and nobody in 
sight. As I stood pondering what I 
should do, I was startled to hear a 
man cough loudly behind me, and 
turning, I beheld the goggled 
stranger. I shamefacedly explained 
my predicament. He took me to a 
dark corner of the Woman’s Building 
and then left to look up an officer 
to secure an exit for us both. 

I was huddled up at the South end 
of the building and there was only 
the Children’s Building opposite to 
look at and this was not in the least 
inspiring. I spent some time in 
wondering how the goggled stranger 
had happened to meet me at this 
crisis, but as I could reach no definite 
conclusion in the matter I soon tired 
of this and wondered why he did not 
return. I waited an hour, as it seemed 
to me, and finally decided that he 
had no intention of returning. 


104 An Amateur Adventuress. 

Just then a faint sound reached 
my ears. It was the “Turn, turn, 
turn ’ ’ of the Turkish drum on the 
Plaisance. My curiosity was aroused. 
“Those people on the Plaisance,” 
thought I, “are no longer acting a 
part but are living their real life now 
that the visitors have departed.” I 
longed to see them and finally curios- 
ity overcame my timidity and I 
started down the Plaisance. For a 
time I saw no one. The trip, how- 
ever, seemed to me a decidedly rash 
undertaking and I sneaked along in 
fear and trembling. 

When I reached the overhead bridge 
of the Illinois Central I stopped to 
take breath under its shadow. Ap- 
proaching the bridge I saw presently 
a Turk with his fez cocked on the 
back of his head, absorbed in an 
animated conversation with a young 
girl who, with her hands clasped 
about his arm and her bangles shim- 
mering in the moonlight, made a 
very graceful and picturesque figure. 


A Night at the Fair. 105 

An American coquette might have 
copied with advantage the arts and 
airs of this Eastern houri. 

Suddenly they stopped and, from 
being merely graceful and clinging, 
she became intensely excited. She 
was evidently angry, for she pushed 
the man away and talked rapidly in 
a high treble key. Her head was 
thrown hack and dramatic gesticula- 
tions accompanied her rapid speech. 
The scene would have suited high 
tragedy, but I soon perceived that the 
whole meaning of this little drama 
was that the young man wished for a 
longer stroll while the girl preferred 
to return to the merry gathering 
which they had undoubtedly left 
farther down on the Plaisance. Of 
course the girl had her way, and as 
she turned back the young man 
sulked along after her. 

As they disappeared I hurried on 
again at a rapid pace until I reached 
the village of the South Sea Islanders. 
Hearing a noisy jabbering, I crouched 


106 An Amateur Adventuress. 

down behind some loose boards and 
peered in through the bamboo fence. 
I saw several brown forms of the 
natives huddled about a fire and 
holding, as I thought, a kind of a 
pow-wow. The noise presently grew 
louder and louder and I became 
frightened, for I supposed they were 
engaged in a deadly quarrel. I soon 
realized, however, that they were 
only indulging in their savage merri- 
ment. At length, one stalwart native 
sprang up and pursued another who 
leaped over the fence, nearly tearing 
it down as he did so. Here, so close 
to me that it made m3 shiver, he 
indulged in a kind of a war 
dance, while in a minor strain he 
chanted a savage song. I wms im- 
mensely tickled at the private and 
exclusive entertainment I was receiv- 
ing and the peril only added to the 
flavor of my enjoyment. 

When the South Sea Islander had 
leapt back into the village enclosure 
and I was preparing to return, I 


A Night at the Fair. 107 

heard a clatter of feet and hoofs and 
a distant shouting. The noise grew 
louder and a little donkey soon 
galloped by, closely followed by a 
young Turk or Syrian and a promis- 
cuous mob behind him. “ Ta-ra-ra 
Boom de’ aye!” shouted the young 
man as he passed me. This American 
expression seemed so incongruous 
among this grotesque and kaleides- 
copic rabble of foreigners that I 
could hardly keep from laughing. 
Then it occurred to me that that was 
the name of the meek little donkey 
which was made the butt of many a 
joke by its rider, Soloman Joseph, 
the clown of the Wild East show. 
The truth dawned upon me — “Ta-ra-ra 
Boom de’ aye ” was running away 
with half of Midway after him. The 
gay and motley crowd, wildly gesti- 
culating and shouting strange sounds 
in a dozen different languages, was 
as unique a scene as I have ever 
witnessed. 

The shouting crowd presently came 


108 An Amateur Adventuress. 

tearing back, while at the tail end 
of the procession was Soloman Joseph, 
riding the meek little donkey. When 
they had all gone and the South Sea 
Islanders had settled down to rest I 
suddenly remembered the goggled 
man, and decided to return to my 
corner in the Woman’s Building, 
though I thought it scarcely probable 
that he was still lingering about the 
grounds. I felt dreadfully lonesome 
and shivery as I crept up Midway 
and crouched down in the dark corner 
of the Woman’s Building once more. 
Sleep was not to be thought of; 
finally I decided to sally out again 
and look at the lagoon and the 
beautiful white palaces under the 
soft moon-light. 

I stole out in fear and trembling 
and crept along in the shadow of the 
buildings as much as possible, as I 
hurried towards the Court of Honor. 
When I reached the Transportation 
Building, the slanting rays of the 
moon rested upon the Golden Door- 


A Night at the Fair. 109 

way, picking out the delicate 
arabesques and shedding a poetic 
light on the dainty kiosk-like pavilions 
on each side. It seemed like a scene 
in the Arabian Nights’ Tales, and I 
almost expected to see veiled figures 
moving in the shadows and to hear 
weird Eastern airs stealing from the 
windows. 

A slight chilliness presently urged 
me on and I hurried along in the 
shadows of the Mines and Mining, to 
the Electricity Building. Here I 
paused, and turning, gazed at the 
enchanting scene before me. The 
Wooded Island lay dark and myster- 
ious, with its edges fringed with 
silver ; the placid waters of the lagoon 
mirrored the soft light of the moon, 
while, in the distance, gleamed the 
roof of the Horticultural Building 
with its dome of shining crystal. 

This was fairyland, but more 
w^onderful still was the scene which I 
beheld as I reached the Court of 
Honor. In the day with its crowds. 


110 An Amateur Adventuress. 

its innumerable sights and sounds, 
the wonders of the Fair oppressed me, 
overwhelmed me. I saw the noble 
buildings, the works of art, the rare ex- 
hibits, but my mind was too crammed 
to comprehend them. But now, silent 
and alone, as I viewed those stately 
piles so pure and chaste, as they rose 
in snowy splendor, the White City, 
the Dream City, was disclosed to me 
with a new meaning. The moon 
poured its light upon the angels of 
Machinery Hall and made them seem 
in truth white- winged messengers of 
Heaven; it cast an exquisite sheen 
upon the gilded dome of the Admin- 
istration Building. The Liberal Arts, 
Electricity, and Mines and Mining 
Buildings lay in partial shadow but 
the Agricultural Building and the 
classic Peristyle gleamed in brilliant 
whiteness. Now I knew what awe 
was, and as I stood enwrapt with the 
calm grandeur of the scene I wondered 
if Heaven itself could be much more 
beautiful. 


A Night at the Fair. Ill 

How long I gazed I know not. But 
I was rudely brought to earth by the 
sound of rapidly approaching foot- 
steps. My heart stood still in terror. 
Alone, all, all alone ! O for a friend 
to protect me! O for the goggled 
man! I immediately stepped back 
into the shadow but I had evidently 
been discovered, for the steps were 
directed towards my hiding place. I 
turned and ran, but my limbs seemed ^ 
weighted with chains and I could 
scarcely breathe for terror. The 
steps, I realized, were fast gaining 
upon me, and I sank upon the earth, 
praying to die and end the horror. 
The steps ceased and I summoned 
enough courage to look up. There 
at some distance stood a man’s figure. 
He had evidently lost sight of me, for 
he hesitated as if uncertain which 
way to go. He turned towards me 
and, O joy! a star sparkled upon his 
breast ! This gave me enough courage 
to sit bolt upright, and as the police- 
man reached the spot I stepped out 


112 An Amateur Adventuress. 

of the shadow to meet him. My 
sudden appearance took him by 
surprise and he uttered an exclama- 
tion and jumped back as if he had 
seen a ghost. 

“ O I’m so glad you’ve come!” 
said I. “You are!” said he, and 
gave a savage grunt and muttered 
something between his teeth. I was 
alarmed at his strange action. I 
thought he had been drinking, so I 
told him he needn’t bother about me 
as I could get along very well until 
morning. ‘ ‘Not much ! ” he exclaimed, 
and he clutched my arm while he gave 
a shrill whistle. My alarm became 
positive terror. Presently two men 
came running from different direc- 
tions. One was also an officer, and 
the other, O happiness! I recognized 
as the goggled man! 

The truth began to dawn upon me. 
“You haven’t been looking for me!” 
I exclaimed. “Looking for you!” 
repeated officer number two, and he 
muttered something under his breath 


A Night at the Fair. 113 

which sounded dreadfully like an 
oath. My goggled friend drew a 
deep breath but said nothing. 

“ Vv^hy, where did you go?” I 
asked, turning to the latter. “Go!” 
repeated officer number one, and he 
gave another savage grunt. ‘ ‘ W ell, ’ ’ 
said I, “ I don’t see as you can do 
anything but echo my words,” and I 
began to laugh as the situation 
seemed decidedly ludicrous. This 
apparently enraged officer number 
two and he broke into a fierce jumble 
about pert young misses who ought to 
be in bed and asleep, and about spend- 
ing the night in a wild-goose chase, 
and something about the devil, and 
more about somebody who’d have to 
pay for it. 

I laughed more and more and the 
more I laughed the angrier the officers 
became. Meantime we were going 
towards the 57th Street gate. Finally 
I felt so weak that I declared I 
couldn’t go a step further, and sat 
right down in the middle of the road 


114 An Amateur Adventuress. 

in a paroxysm of laughter. Officer 
number one gritted his teeth. “I’ll 
carry you then,” said he, and he 
picked me up roughly and carried me 
in his arms. This did not by any 
means cure my laughter, and I knew 
by the way he shook that he was 
getting madder and madder every 
step. Fortunately, the gate was soon 
reached and as the men fumbled with 
the lock I had time to recover my 
equilibrium. 

The goggled stranger accompanied 
me home. We went by the Cottage 
Grove Avenue cable and sat on oppo- 
site sides of the car. I asked if I 
might know the name of the one who 
had so often befriended me, but he 
only shook his head. I plied him 
with questions as to his search for 
me but never a word did he say. 

As I found myself on the verge of 
laughter again I prudently ceased 
questioning and contented myself 
with watching him as he sat there 
like an owl. Those blue goggles had 


A Night at the Fair. 115 

a strange fascination for me. I 
wondered what was behind them — 
inflamed eyes, sore eyes, or no eyes 
at all? No, I wouldn’t believe it! 
The goggles were a mask, and the 
stranger was perhaps a political 
refugee or a man of high birth visiting 
the Fair, incognito, for in spite of his 
goggles and his silence he was a man 
of gentle manners and noble bearing. 
I took a transfer to a 43rd Street car 
and begged him to go no further, but 
he kept right on until we reached the 
door of my boarding house, where he 
bowed silently and departed. 

When I reached my room I lit the 
gas and looked at my watch. Nearly 
four o’clock in the morning ! I be- 
gan to be decidedly ashamed of my 
escapade. My cheeks burned as the 
thought occurred to me that the 
Unknown had probably been obliged 
to pay the officers for searching for 
me. I think that he at least bribed 
them to keep silence, for I searched 
the papers carefully but saw no men- 


116 An Amateur Adventuress. 

tion of the affair. So ashamed was I 
that never until recently have I 
spoken of that night to any one. 


CHAPTER IX. 


LAST DAYS AT THE FAIR. 

When the summer was drawing to 
a close I learned in a letter from 
home that George had remained in 
Chicago during the greater part of 
his vacation, and had spent most of 
his time at the Exposition, and I 
wondered why he had not called to 
see me. Forgetting the snubs I had 
given him at our last meeting, I felt 
deeply hurt at his neglect, and for a 
couple of days thereafter the skies 
seemed gloomy. I admitted to myself 
that in spite of my busy life I missed 
his letters, which had been such a 
source of comfort to me during the 

preceding winter in C . The gay 

panorama of the Fair, however, soon 
dispelled all somber thoughts. 

On one of the last days in Septem- 
ber, a miserable, chilly morning, a 
young man appeared at our window 
117 


118 An Amateur Adventuress . 

and requested the service of a guide. 
I was the one chosen for this duty, 
and found a party of Germans await- 
ing me outside. They consisted of 
pompouspa^er familias, adipose wa^er 
famiUas, an unmarried daughter, and 
a married daughter with her New 
York husband, the only one who 
could speak English. They had 
traveled all over Europe and had 
come to the great Exposition from 
Hamburg via South America and 
San Francisco. The son-in-law acted 
as spokesman, saying that they 
wished to obtain a general view of 
the grounds, adding that the old gen- 
tleman desired first to take a ride 
around on the Intramural Koad. 

So I piloted my party up the stairs 
of the Intramural station. When the 
train came I saw that the ladies 
obtained seats and was about to step 
in when, presto! the gates snapped 
shut and the train moved on, leaving 
the New York husband and myself on 
the platform. I rushed to the guard 


Last Days at the Fair. 119 

and scolded, saying that my party 
was now without a guide and could 
not speak a word of English. The 
guard only shrugged his shoulders 
and advised me to wait until they 
went around the Loop and returned. 
“You think they will return?” I 
asked anxiously. “ Why yes, if they 
ain’t fools,” returned the guard 
brusquely, and so the young man and I 
went to the other side and waited. 

As we stood, eagerly scanning the 
faces in each approaching train, the 
cold damp air chilled us through and 
through; and the longer we stood the 
more despondent we became. “It’s 
a good thing I haven't a jealous wife,” 
said the young man musingly. Fin- 
ally we decided that the young man 
should go on and hunt the others up, 
while I waited for them to return. 
With strained gaze I watched one 
train after another stop, until after an 
insufferably long time my party 
appeared again on the scene. But 
what a change in their quondam jolly 


120 An Amateur Adventuress. 

faces ! They all looked as if they 
had been to a funeral — the young man 
sitting by himself in one apartment, 
the rest of the party in another. 
The only vacant seat was by the young 
man, so I took it and tried to smile 
as I bowed to the others, but I felt it 
was a very sickly attempt. I had 
always thought the view from the 
Intramural very unsatisfactory, but 
never so much as then. 

At the South Loop a seat by the 
young wife was left vacant, so I took 
it and made a prodigious effort to be 
agreeable in broken German. I 
might have saved my vital energy, 
however, for not a word did I get in 
reply. I could almost feel cold waves 
radiate from her as from an iceberg, 
but I still retained my ghastly smile 
and addressed the sister opposite. 
She answered at first in monosyllables 
but thawed more easily than the 
other. 

Finally the wife said: “ But why 
did you not enter also? ” I tried my 


Last Days at the Fair. 121 

best to explain to her that the gates 
were operated by the conductor at the 
end of the car, but my German failed 
me sadly and I saw from her expres- 
sion that my excuses were far from 
satisfactory. She said later: “We 
waited for you at the next station and 
it was very cold there.” Her poor 
husband, however, fared worse than 
I, for she would not let him speak to 
her at all during the ride. 

I had hoped that they would dine 
at the Casino, obtain their first good 
view of the Fair from the Court of 
Honor and thence proceed northward. 
The old gentleman, however, said 
that a friend of his had enjoyed an 
excellent dinner in the German village, 
and to the German village and no- 
where else would he go. So down the 
Plaisance we went, the young woman 
far in advance, with her husband and 
I behind with the slow-gaited, panting 
mamma, with papa supporting her on 
the other side and daughter a little 
ahead. 


122 An Amateur Adventuress. 

Finally, after what they considered 
a long, tedious walk, the German 
village was reached and was disposed 
of critically by the tourists in a few 
words of contempt. Never having 
been fortunate enough to sample the 
viands here, I did not know which 
restaurant was the better, but remem- 
bering that the further one was very 
neat I took my party there. I thought: 
“A good warm dinner will cheer 
her up,’^ but, alas! there was nothing 
on the bill of fare which they wanted, 
and even the wine, the old gentleman 
said, was utterly flat and tasteless. 
The wind blew in from all sides, and 
they were sure they should have gone 
to the Castle restaurant and I meekly 
agreed with them. 

After dinner we went to the Bedouin 
Encampment, which only partially 
interested them. Next, at the Street 
of Cairo my spirits rose, for here, I 
thought, they will surely throw off 
their discontent and enjoy them- 
selves. They did laugh at the 


Last Days at the Fair. 123 

awkward camels and their no less 
awkward riders, but neither the archi- 
tecture nor the booths interested 
them. Moreover, it began to rain 
and by the time we left the Egyptian 
quarters it was pouring. Then I 
said: “ In the Panorama of Kilauea 
we shall be under shelter, and at the 
same time you will find it one of the 
finest things on the Plaisance.” <So 
we went on until we reached the door, 
when the young man, looking at the 
name, exclaimed: “Oh, a volcano! 
We don’t want to see this, we’ve seen 
the finest volcanoes in the world in 
South America! ” As nothing could 
induce them to go in, we hurried on 
to Old Vienna. Here we took shelter 
in the pavilion of a beer garden and 
presently, dripping and dejected, 
made a tour of the place. “Is not 
this interesting? ” I ventured to ask 
the old gentleman. “ Ah yes, inter- 
esting, but only about what we have 
seen at the Paris Exposition. We 
spent two months there and saw a 


124 An Amateur Adventuress. 

German Village and Cairo Street and 
just about what you have here.” 
Entirely discouraged I led them out 
again, and hurried them along at a 
running gait to the nearest exit to 
the Illinois Central railroad, where I 
received a good fee and hastened back 
to the Woman’s Building to get per- 
mission to go home and doff my 
dripping garments. 

Never, never shall I forget Chicago 
day ! I had a little girl in my charge 
nearly all day, and was continually 
pushing into the densest crowds to 
give her a chance to see the parade. By 
evening I was quite tired but stayed 
with a friend to see the fireworks. A 
little before ten o’clock we parted, she 
to go to the Illinois Central and I to 
the Elevated Road. The jam here 
was something frightful and before I 
knew it I was in the midst of it. The 
seething mass of humanity pressed 
closer and closer. A woman near me 
moaned and fainted and was lifted 
to the roof of the little ticket office 


Last Days at the Fair. 125 

at the gate. Another woman fainted 
and was removed. Then I was lifted 
from my feet and whirled around by 
the pressing crowd. I was held as if 
in a vise. I gasped for breath. The 
crowd tightened about me and I had 
a horrible feeling that I was being 
squeezed to death. Finally, every- 
thing began to grow black before me, 
when a hoarse voice, unknown yet 
strangely familiar, cried: “Back, 
back!” and I realized that strong 
arms were forcing back the crowd. 
My next impression was that of float- 
ing upward — then ! knew no more. 

As I finally came to myself with 
many a gasp and struggle for breath, 
I dimly saw a man with a slouch hat 
and bushy beard bending over me. 
In a moment, however, he disap- 
peared and a hospital attendant took 
his place and with restoratives soon 
perfected my recovery. I now learned 
I was in a portion of the Transporta- 
tion Building, whither I had been 


126 An Amateur Adventuress . 

brought with many others from the 
crush at the gates. 

“Who is that man with the slouch 
hat and bushy beard?” I asked of 
the nurse, for in a corner I spied the 
man who had bent over me. “Isn’t 
he a friend of yours? ” inquired the 
nurse, looking at me with surprise. 
“ He helped you out of the crowd 
and followed you hither.” “Oh!” I 
gasped. The man had turned around. 
He had donned his goggles and I 
recognized my Unknown Friend ! He 
held a whispered consultation with 
the nurse and went away, leaving me 
feeling very desolate. I was cheered, 
however, by the information that I 
was to be taken home in an ambulance, 
with the nurse as attendant. As I 
fully recovered consciousness I began 
to feel very sore and lame, especially 
in the region of the ribs, and I was so 
weak that I could not walk a step. 

But all things must end, and one 
morning I woke up saying to myself : 
“The Exposition is no more.” I did 


Last Days at the Fair. 127 

not realize the fact, however, until I 
entered the train on the Elevated 
Road and saw two rows of almost 
empty seats when only the day before 
I had been obliged to stand on the 
platform. I took my seat with a 
sinking heart, and would have been 
glad to have been jostled by a jolly 
pushing crowd. The deserted grounds 
oppressed me even more. I felt as if 
I were waking from a beautiful 
dream. I tried hard to continue 
dreaming but the vision slipped away, 
leaving me to face the stern realities 
of life once more. Only joy, how- 
ever, pervaded the foreign quarters. 
When I entered the grounds I walked 
down Midway; the South Sea Islanders 
were singing lustily ae they began 
their packing, while grinning Turks 
and Egyptians called out to me, 

‘ ‘ Good-by ! Good-by ! ’ ’ 

A little of the ludicrous occurred 
to break the solemnity of the occasion. 
I was given duties in the Woman’s 
Building for several days after the 


128 An Amateur Adventuress . 

Fair closed. In this building, and I 
suppose in all buildings, a rule was 
made that no one with a bundle 
should be allowed to leave without a 
permit, unless he was well known. 
One day a man with a baby wrapped 
up in a shawl approached the West 
entrance. “Stop — what have you 
there?” said the suspicious guard. 
“My baby,” answered the man 
quickly. The guard poked the bundle, 
but not being satisfied, made the man 
unwrap it. Doing this, the indignant 
father held up a poor sleepy little 
infant to the gaze of the unfeeling 
guard, who then allowed the man to 
pass out. The next day I was also 
much amused at two Lady Managers 
who attempted to pass out of the 
same entrance with some of their own 
possessions. The same guard, evi- 
dently a new arrival in the building, 
demanded their permits. “We need 
no permits — we are Lady Managers,” 
exclaimed both together, bristling 
up. The guard turned pale but, 


Last Days at the Fair. 129 

true to his instructions, said, “ I have 
orders to let no one with bundles pass 
through the door without permits.” 
At this one of the ladies lost her 
temper and expressed herself in very- 
decided terms, but all to no avail. The 
Grandes Dames were obliged to 
mount the stairs to the Superinten- 
dent’s office and secure permits, 
threatening dire vengeance upon the 
dutiful guard as they did so. 


CHAPTEK X. 


PRIVATE SECRETARY. 

While wondering what I should do 
next, I received a note from a promi- 
nent Chicago lady requesting me to 
call. I did so that very evening and 
learned that she was in need of a 
private secretary and had heard of me 
from the lady to whose corps of 
guides I had belonged. When I 
proudly mentioned my ancestry and 
connections the Chicago dame found 
that she was acquainted with my 
mother’s people and very graciously 
said that she would consider herself 
unusually fortunate to secure her 
daughter as one of her family. 

I was delighted with my good luck 
and on the next day took formal leave 
of the White City. In spite of my 
good fortune, I felt gloomy as I 
walked in and out of the already dis- 
mantled buildings and saw only teams 


Private Secretary. 


131 


and workmen and heard the noise of 
the hammer and the saw. As I reached 
the Court of Honor it seemed to me 
positively sacriligeous to see a great 
engine rattle past the Manufactures 
Building, puffing its black smoke 
under the noble arches. After a 
short time I left, preferring to keep 
in memory the great Fair in its 
palmiest days rather than in its ruin. 

In taking leave of the Fair I thought 
of my unknown friend. “ It was all a 
dream,” I sighed, “and he a part of 
the dream. I doubt if he ever really 
existed.” But when I reached home 
what should I find but a note from the 
same Unknown ! It ran as follows : 

“Dear Miss Gray: 

“I have known you 
in a dream — as beautiful a dream as 
ever came into my life ; and naturally 
I wish to continue dreaming. Fate 
seems to prevent our acquaintance as 
an actuality, but if you will allow me 
to correspond with you, I will gladly 
try to help and advise you as an older 
friend and watch over you as it has 


132 An Amateur Adventuress. 

been my pleasure to do in the past. 

“On the other hand, an occasional 
kind word from you will do much to 
brighten an otherwise lonely life. 

“Yours in Dreamland, 

“The Unknown. 

“ Address F. Dolge, Box — , Chicago.” 

Strange that this letter should echo 
my thought ! Had my acquaintance 
with the Unknown not partaken so 
much of the character of a dream, I 
should probably not have thought it 
advisable to correspond with him. As 
it was, I seized on this idea of corres- 
pondence as the one portion of the 
dream life left me, and my sad 
thoughts of parting with the summer 
vision vanished. 

I had heard that one may read a 
person’s character in his handwriting, 
and I thought I might learn some- 
thing of my unknown friend in this 
way, but upon examination I found 
that the two notes which I had re- 
ceived from him were written in a 
stiff, backhanded chirography which 
served as a mask to his individ- 


Private Secretary. 


133 


uality as effectually as his goggles, 
beard and slouch hat were to his per- 
sonal appearance. 

I had no doubt of his noble char- 
acter, however, and though there was 
something eerie about his silence 
and his disguise, this only added to 
the romance of the acquaintance and 
I felt as much interest in him as if he 
were the man with the Iron Mask. 
Suddenly I remembered my childish 
boast to George long years before, 
that I should marry an Unknown 
who was to be a nobleman in dis- 
guise — perhaps my unknown friend 
was really a nobleman! But alas! what 
of the Castle in Spain? It all was so 
unreal that George’s answer seemed 
to have a prophetic meaning now. 

The elegance of my new home 
exceeded anything I had ever seen. 
Even my room was exquisite in its 
furnishings. In order to be in har- 
mony with my surroundings I felt 
it necessary to provide myself with 
new gowns and borrowed money from 


134 An Amateur Adventuress. 

a wealthy girl friend for the purpose. 
In spite of this I realized I was in 
the midst of splendor and yet apart 
from it. I had my meals with the 
governess, who had been long in the 
family and who was inclined to re- 
gard me as an upstart, never deigning 
to enter into a long conversation with 
me, but directing all her attention to 
the children at table with us. My 
duties consisted of writing business 
letters and society notes at dictation, 
addressing invitations and keeping 
my lady’s books, which was some- 
times quite an intricate affair. 
Besides this I was sent on many 
errands in preference to other of the 
domestics, (for such in spite of the 
kindness of my employer I felt my- 
self to be.) 

My position soon became galling to 
my proud nature. My employer’s 
manner towards me was patronizing, 
and her prom^ence and that of her 
friends awoke in me ambitions which 
I was wholly unable to gratify. I 


Private Secretary. 


135 


envied them their elegant manners, 
and in their presence my own awk- 
wardness became positively painful. 

At one time a lady friend of my 
employer very kindly included me in 
an invitation to an informal reception. 
Here I put forth my best efforts to 
shine, and but few people knowing 
my true position, I succeeded beyond 
my expectations. Among others I met 
an ambitious western lady who, 
believing me a wealthy relative of my 
employer, took special pains to intro- 
duce her son to me. I evidently made 
a favorable impression upon him for 
he requested the pleasure of calling 
while I was in town. I told him I 
was to leave town in the morning — 
which was true, as I was going on a 
little business trip for my employer. 
Then he begged the favor of corres- 
pondence, which I granted, requesting 
him to address letters to the residence 
of my supposed relative, as they 
would be forwarded to me when I 
was out of town. 


136 An Amateur Adventuress. 

His letters were very interesting 
and my conscience urged me in each 
letter to inform him of my true posi- 
tion. I delayed, however, until one 
day my employer sent the maid to tell 
that a lady and gentleman wished to 
see me in the parlor. I hastened 
down and found the western lady and 
her son. My employer of course 
made no secret of my position in the 
family and the western lady grew 
suddenly very cold and haughty, 
while her son was evidently much 
embarrassed. I exchanged a few 
words with them and then excused 
myself, to fly to my room and burst 
into tears. My employer gave me a 
very severe reprimand for taking 
advantage of the kindness of a friend 
and sailing under false colors. I 
knew in the depths of my heart that 
she was right, but I was deeply mor- 
tified and angry at the reproof, and 
resolved to resign at the earliest 
opportunity. 

I addressed a letter that night to 


• Private Secretary. 187 

the western young man, fully ex- 
plaining my situation and assuring 
him that my proud nature had not 
fitted me for a clerk or domestic and 
that I was anxious to secure some 
more independent position. I told 
him I was sorry to have deceived him 
and bade him farewell. This I sent 
to his Chicago address. The next 
day I happened to meet this young 
man on the street. He had received 
my note and insisted upon walking 
with me while he unfolded a plan for 
me. It was to join a new company 
of actors to which a lady friend of 
his belonged. I jumped at the chance. 
He introduced me to the leading man, 
who was also manager, and I soon 
made arrangements to join the com- 
pany, though on very moderate terms. 

Meanwhile I had been correspond- 
ing with The Unknown, and I found 
his letters so wise and kind that I 
began to confide in him as if he were 
a lifelong friend. While suffering 
from mortification at the disgrace 


138 An Amateur Adventuress . 

which I had brought upon myself as 
private secretary, I received one of 
his cheery letters and straightway 
felt refreshed and comforted. 

He had just made an excursion into 
the woods outside of the hot and 
dusty city on this Sabbath afternoon, 
and wrote me as he lay upon a bank 
which edged the Desplanes River. His 
letter exhaled cheer and sweet content, 
with a whiff of sweetbriar too, for in 
the letter he inclosed three of those 
soft pink roses with as many dainty 
ferns. I saw the lazy river as he 
wrote, with its waters dazzling the 
eyes in the July sunshine. I saw the 
crowds of weary wage-earners or gay 
pleasure-seekers, wending their way 
through the long grass, or crackling 
through the underbrush, or chatting 
under the trees. A few of them, per- 
haps, had heard a sermon that morn- 
ing in some city church, but for the 
majority the birds twittered their Sab- 
bath hymns and the trees and the river 
and the flowers preached the sermon. 


Private Secretary. 


139 


As the crowd increased, the simple 
rural scene changed to that of a Sun- 
day picnic. Troops of bicyclists in 
nobby costumes passed; families with 
hordes of noisy children sauntered by ; 
city dudes supplanted the country 
swains and hired girls took the place 
of Audrey and Phillis. The charm 
was gone and The Unknown, packing 
up his books and writing tablet and 
bidding me good-day, informed me 
that he was about to cross the bridge 
to seek “green fields and pastures 
new,” and so the letter ended. 

With me the charm still lingered. 
I had a great desire to see the river 
and the grove before I left the city, 
and the very next Sunday afternoon 
I took the West Madison Street cable 
and then the electric car for River 
Forest. 

But “O ye gods and little fishes! ” 
How my poetical ideal was dashed to 
the ground! The cars were jammed 
with a plebeian, jostling crowd and 
howling boys clung to the sides and 


140 An Amateur Adventuress. 

hung over the platform railings. 
The portion of the grove which I 
entered had been converted into a 
swamp by recent rains and, after 
plodding along in the mushy ground 
for a few yards, I turned back and 
ran along at a very unpoetical gait 
to secure a seat in the car for the 
return. 

This experience was very character- 
istic of my acquaintance with The 
Unknown, I thought. As an ideal he 
was always so lofty and delightful 
and, face to face, so unsatisfactory! 
Yet, strange to say, I was loath to 
leave the city where he lived, for 
somehow I felt his nearness was a 
benediction. 

Moreover, I dreaded to inform this 
friend of my determination to become 
an actress, believing that he would 
not approve ; but the desire to receive 
his letters induced me to write him 
and enclose our itinerary and a list of 
our plays. 


CHAPTER XI. 


ACTRESS. 

Our “star” was a man of fine 
appearance, considerable wealth, 
unlimited self-conceit and some 
elocutionary ability, who, however, 
considered himself a second Booth 
and demanded homage accordingly. 
His main support was vested in two 
actresses who were rivals for the 
position of leading lady, and who lost 
no occasion to thrust daggers of spite 
into each other’s reputation. The 
rest of the company, including my- 
self, consisted of half a dozen poor 
sticks who filled subordinate positions 
at starvation wages. 

In my school days I had had secret 
longings to go on the stage and now 
thought I would quite enjoy, as a 
side observer, the life of actors and 
their romantic ideals. The reality I 
found quite different. Our “star” 

141 


142 An Amateur Adventuress. 

snubbed me daily. Leading Lady 
Number One was very conventional — 
quite a pink of propriety in fact. 
She was used to dealing with base, 
crafty natures, I thought, and plas- 
tered on correct manners as she did 
her rouge. She was of a false, 
superficial nature and had a contempt 
for little, awkward, sentimental me. 
Leading Lady Number Two, the friend 
of my western correspondent, was 
very different, being exceedingly gay 
and, in fact, rather giddy. One 
moment she would call me her “ little 
pet ” and be most sweetly confiding; 
the next, she would ridicule my speech 
and imitate my walk until I was 
ready to cry with vexation. Wher- 
ever we stopped she would have a 
crowd of men about her and in hotels 
made us unpleasantly conspicuous. 
I am confident she was not depraved 
in nature, but vain and fond of 
pleasure and admiration. She even 
tried to drag me into her flirtations 
but my innocence was many times my 


Actress. 


143 


shield. Once we were refreshing 
ourselves after the play with a late 
supper when an old, grey-haired man 
entered and was greeted with a jocular 
exclamation by Leading Lady Num- 
ber Two. He seated himself by me 
and leaned across my plate to talk 
to Number Two on the other side, 
interspersing his conversation with 
occasional remarks to me. I answered 
briefly and offered to exchange seats 
with him but he refused, saying he 
would not make me the trouble for the 
world. As his remarks were polite 
and general in nature I finally entered 
into the conversation, asking him 
innocently if his wife had enjoyed 
the play, for I had noticed them 
together in a front seat. He hesi- 
tated and a slight flush spread over 
his face. “O yes, very much,” he 
answered, “but she was so tired that 
she could not come here, I am sorry to 
say.” The members of the company 
bit their lips and looked at their 
plates and Leading Lady Number 


144 An Amateur Adventuress. 


Two gave a gasp as if she were trying 
to smother a fit of laughter. 

Wherever we went the letters of 
The Uniknown anticipated me — notes 
of strong advice and practical common 
sense, interspersed with bits of verse 
which proved him, if not a poet, at 
least an ardent lover of nature. He 
made frequent visits to the woods 
and his fresh and breezy descriptions 
were a delightful offset to our arti- 
ficial stage life. In one of his letters 
I found a three-cornered folded paper. 
Opening it, a tiny light blue flower 
fell into my lap and I read the fol- 
lowing verses : 

THE WILDFLOWEB AND THE MAID. 


I found a wildflower in the wood, 

So fair of form, so soft of hue ; 

Its gentle fragrance o’er me stole 
From out its bosom, wet with dew. 

I put the wildflower from the wood, 
With queenly roses in a vase ; 

The dainty flowret hung its head 
And hid its modest little face. 


A dress. 


145 


I met a maiden in the wood, 

Gentle and timid as a fawn; 

In her hair the sunbeams played, 

In her cheek the flush of dawn. 

I took the maiden to a ball, 

The petted beauties smiled and shone ; 
The woodland maid spoke ne’er a word 
But, pale and shrinking, stood alone. 

The wildflower withered in its vase, 

I cast it through the open door ; 

The woodland maid, she went away 
And I shall never see her more. 

“How sweet! ” exclaimed a voice 
behind me and looking around I saw 
Leading Lady Number Two bending 
over my shoulder, her naughty eyes 
twinkling wdth merriment. “You 
little fraud, to pretend to be so demure 
and matter-of-fact! ” she continued. 
‘ ‘How delightfully romantic, ’ ’ and she 
snatched the verses from my hand 
and danced away with them. I begged 
for their return without avail. Then 
I stormed and implored and even 
wept, but all in vain. I tried to be 
quite cool to her for several days, but 
as she was not in the least affected by 


146 An Amateur Adventuress. 

my frigid manners I gave up in de- 
spair and returned to our former 
friendly footing. 

We traveled mostly in small towns, 
as our scenery was not adapted to 
large stages and far from suited 
Shakesperian plays, but we stooped 
to nothing lower. We made our 
debut in a western town in Hamlet. 
The orchestra, a brass band of local 
talent, played nothing but popular 
airs and danced Hamlet onto the stage 
by a jig tune. The ghost forgot his 
part and the boys in the gallery 
howled. Moreover, our scenery was 
put together wrong and a street in 
London met the forest of Ardennes. 
However, the self-possession of 
Hamlet was truly wonderful. He 
thundered through the monologue as 
if he "were about to commit murder 
instead of suicide, and although we 
left out parts of two acts through 
want of preparation, the audience 
was none the wiser and greeted the 
close with thundering applause. 


Actress. 


147 


At another place our trunks did 
not arrive; the ghost borrowed a 
sheet, the rest of us appeared in our 
traveling costumes and the angry 
audience demanded to have their 
money refunded. 

Again, Desdemona grew fatally 
jealous of Emilia and at the last 
moment refused to appear; and I, 
Bianca, in spite of protests, must 
take her place. I wrapped a damp 
towel around my head and tried to 
study the part in the afternoon but I 
was so nervous that I could scarcely 
see the words. In the evening I was 
prompted half way through and then 
hooted off the stage. Finally, one 
stormy night, we played to an audi- 
ence in a South Dakota town, and 
after the performance our Star called 
us together and said briefly that he 
had not received the support from us 
which he had expected and that our 
trip had been a financial failure from 
beginning to end. Besides, there 
was a lack of harmony among us. 


148 An Amateur Adventuress, 

and in short, he considered it time to 
quit. “All right,” exclaimed the 
“Supes,” “Give us our back pay 
and we’ll quit quick enough.” “You 
ahall have your pay in the morning,” 
said the Star. “We want it now,” 
said the men, threateningly. “ O, all 
right,” answered the Star, pulling 
out his pocketbook. Just then the 
landlord poked his head into the 
room. “There’s a sick lady next 
door and she wants this talking to 
stop,” said he sharply. “We are 
sorry to have disturbed any one,” 
said our Star bowing in his most 
courtly manner, “and we shall retire 
at once.” “You see I have the 
money,” he continued, as the door 
closed, showing some bills. “I have 
arranged this matter beforehand, but 
we had better retire now and not 
have the wrath of the landlord poured 
upon us.” He then went to his room 
and the others followed his example. 
Leading Lady Number Two roomed 
with me and she listened attentively 


Actress. 


149 


until all was still. “I guess we can 
trust him,” she said thoughtfully, and 
prepared for bed. 

We were very tired and slept late. 
When we awoke and went to break- 
fast none of our company appeared. 
I thought this nothing strange, but 
Leading Lady Number Two tried the 
doors of their respective rooms and 
called their names loudly. The land- 
lord came in, greatly surprised, and 
said that he had supposed that we 
knew that the rest of the company 
had left on the midnight train, 
telling him that we would pay our 
bills and follow in the morning. 
Amazed, we hurried to the telegraph 
office and spent the little change we 
possessed in telegraphing to three 
different stations but could learn 
nothing of our recreant troupe. 

We were in the deepest despair — 
two women in a strange town with 
not a cent in our pockets! At the 
hotel, Leading Lady Number Two, 
whom I shall now call Estelle, told 


150 An Amateur Adventuress. 

the landlord of our predicament in 
such a pitiful manner that it touched 
his heart, and with an apology for his 
presumption, he said that one of his 
dining-room girls had left and that 
one of us (and he looked at Estelle) 
might like the position until we 
secured something better. Estelle 
generously refused to accept unless I 
be employed also, offering to work at 
half price if necessary. 

We spent two days in this occu- 
pation, when some of the good people 
of the town came to us and suggested 
that a benefit for us might be arranged 
if we would give some elocutionary 
selections at the Opera House the 
next evening. We were very grate- 
ful. Real tears came into Estelle’s 
eyes and she accepted in a voice 
choked with true emotion. We hit 
upon a happy scheme of playing 
Othello, with dummies to take the 
parts of our missing traitors. Of course 
we abbreviated much, but it proved a 
great hit. Estelle was really quite 


Actress. 


151 


an actress and gave sotfte selections 
in a manner which won prolonged 
applause. We decided to repeat the 
performance the next evening and 
netted two hundred dollars, and with 
light hearts we left for Kansas City 
on the morning train. How it hap- 
pened I can’t imagine, but when we 
reached this place Estelle found she 
had been robbed of her share of the 
proceeds and of course I insisted upon 
her sharing mine. 

While in Kansas City we hired a 
hall, paid big prices for advertisements 
in the papers, and gave a variety per- 
formance but found ourselves twen- 
ty dollars in debt as a result. Real- 
izing that our funds would soon vanish 
at this rate, we decided to try to start 
a school of elocution. Estelle wrote to 
teachers and friends for recommenda- 
tions, and in the meantime wrote up 
some recommendations of her own 
fabrication, signed with fictitious 
names and consisting of exaggerated 
praise of her abilities. When I re- 


152 An Amateur Adventuress. 

monstrated Vith her concerning this 
dishonesty, she laughed lightly and 
said that lying was only the product 
of a highly wrought imagination, 
anyhow. I canvassed the town for 
pupils and after several days’ work 
succeeded in securing the promise of 
ten. At the time appointed for our 
first lesson only three pupils appeared, 
and while Estelle instructed them I 
scoured the city for more. 

The responsibility rested upon me 
and at the end of two weeks I was 
feeling very blue, when I received a 
long letter from The Unknown and 
my heart sang again. To no other 
person could I so fully confide my 
troubles, and no other letters brought 
me such strong advice and tender 
sympathy. His seemed, indeed, a 
broad nature, which measured all 
things by the highest ideals ; and I 
depended on his letters as a prop for 
each coming week. I had a longing 
to meet him in reality, for he was 
•till too much of a dream personage. 


Actress. 


158 


and in my next letter I plucked up 
courage to write him this. 

Estelle and I struggled along for 
three weeks and at the end of this 
time found that we each had less 
than ten dollars in our pockets. 
Estelle came to a sudden resolution. 

‘ ‘Tomorrow night Agnes plays 

‘Silvia’ at St. Louis, ” said she. “She 
has a large and successful company 
and perhaps would take in a couple 
more. She is noted for her warm 
heart and will never leave a sister in 
want if she can help it.” “We’ll 
go!” said I, starting up. That night 
we packed our trunks and the next 
morning found us on our way to 
St. Louis. We reached the city 
about noon and, buying a paper, read 
to our dismay that, owing to serious 
illness Agnes was obliged to can- 

cel her St. Louis engagement. 

What to do we did not know. We 
were again almost penniless, but 
Estelle, with the improvidence which 
distinguishes her profession, stopped 


154 An Amateur Adventuress. 

at a fruit stand and bought a couple 
of oranges while she chatted with 
the Italian woman in charge. “You 
look sick,” said Estelle. “Ah mees, 
so verra seek,” answered the woman, 
shaking her head mournfully, ‘ ‘and 
the man and the cheelren seek and 
no one to care for them.” “We’ll 
take care of your stand for you if 
you’ll let us have half the profits,” 
said I. “We’re looking for work 
and would he glad of this.” The 
old woman shook her head dolefully, 
but at the same time sank back into 
her chair. Meanwhile a gentleman 
was fumbling over the oranges and 
Estelle said politely ; “Oranges, sir? 
Nice ones five cents apiece, three for 
ten,” and he handed out ten cents 
while she slipped three in a bag for 
him. “See!” said she, smiling at 
the old woman, “We shall do well — 
Can’t you trust us? ” The woman 
eyed her sharply, finally sighed, nod- 
ded her head and told us the prices 
of things. “You no cheat seek old 


Actress. 


155 


woman,” she said pathetically. The 
sick woman sat down in her chair 
again and Estelle went behind the 
stand, while I said I would answer 
newspaper advertisements and see 
what I could secure. 

I went first to employment agencies, 
but found I would have to wait all 
day before my turn came to make ap- 
plication. Next I investigated the 
following advertisement: ‘ ‘ Wanted — 
Cashier, $15. per week. No exper- 
ience necessary. ” At the stated place, 
as I went up one flight, I saw the hall 
filled with girls, nearly all bright and 
merry, waiting for the office to be 
opened. Listening to them I thought 
they seemed like a lot of happy school 
girls, and not weary, discouraged 
wage-earners. One had left without 
her dinner in order to be in time. 
Another had come in twenty miles on 
the cars. After waiting about half 
an hour a little man finally came out 
of the office and, standing on tiptoe, 
said: “Friends, I did not expect to 


156 An Amateur Adventuress. 

eee more than two or three here this 
morning. A mistake has been made 
in the advertisement. There should 
have been added, “Capital of $500 
required.” A groan rose from the 
crowd and some of the pert girls 
openly called it a swindle. The little 
man seemed much embarrassed and 
said if any wished to investigate the 
matter he would give proof of his good 
faith and honesty. I do not know 
how many stopped to investigate, for 
I left at once. 

Another advertisement read : “Easy 
work. Generous salary. Honorable 
employment. Apply at room 134, 
DeSoto Building, P — street.” Up 
four flights in a dark musty building 
and down a long gloomy corridor 
brought me to the door above men- 
tioned and, knocking with some 
trepidation, it was opened by a gray- 
bearded, pompous looking man wear- 
ing rather seedy clothes. He asked me 
to be seated and, unrolling some little 
packages, began a long harangue, 


Actress. 


157 


which was in substance that he had 
invented the finest corn cure in exis- 
tence and that one could make a 
fortune peddling it out to afflicted 
pedestrians. Mj ambition not being 
directed towards the peddler’s art, 
and not even the prospect of a large 
fortune proving an allurement, I 
answered that I was looking for office 
work. Finally, I only succeeded in 
getting aw’ay by purchasing a bottle 
of the old man, ostensibly for my 
own use, although I am thankful to 
say I have never had occasion to 
use it. 

Returning to Estelle’s stand at six 
o’clock I found her flushed and ex- 
cited. “Have you had good luck ? ” 
I asked. “ O such good luck !” she 
answered, throwing her arms around 
my neck. I was much embarrassed at 
this display of emotion in the street 
and was relieved when she said she 
would tell me later. I helped her 
pack up the fruit for the old Italian 
to trundle home, and then she caught 


158 An Amateur Adventuress. 

hold of my sleeve and hurried me 
along until we came to the Southern 
Hotel. Here she left me in the hall 
on the third floor, commanding me 
not to move until she returned. 
Presently she came back with a key 
and took me into an airy room near 
by. “This is yours,” she said la- 
conically. “You must have made a 
fortune or you must be crazy,” said 
I. “O both! both!” she exclaimed, 
clapping her hands. “I’m fairly 
wild with joy !” 

I looked at her uneasily. Could 
her troubles have turned her brain? 
I felt prepared for the worst, but 
said quietly, “I’m ready to hear 
what you have to say.” “Oh, I 
have nothing to say except that you 
must now put on your light grey suit 
and I will put on my silk.” Saying 
this she left the room and I, now 
thoroughly convinced that she was 
crazy, hastened to follow her. How- 
ever, when I looked out the door she 
was nowhere in sight. Spying my 


Actress. 


159 


trunk in the room I concluded to 
obey her orders, opened it and donned 
my grey. 

Half an hour passed and 1 began to 
grow anxious, when she burst into 
my room, radiant in her light 
silk, with her hair freshly curled 
and her cheeks glowing, I honestly 
believe, with a natural crimson. 
“Come, we must hurry to the par- 
lors!” she exclaimed. I said not a 
word, but caught up a handkerchitf 
and followed her quickly. She led 
me across a large reception room, and 
standing before a tall, handsome man 
said, “Mr. St. John, this is my dear 
comrade. Miss Gray.” Mr. St. John 
shook my hand warmly, while she con- 
tinued: “And Esther, I am proud to 
inform you that this is Mr. St. 
John, my prospective husband.” I 
gasped with astonishment. “Yes,” 
he replied, taking her hand, “lam 
happy to have found my little girl 
again. There is the Reverend Mr. 
Furlow now.” A clerical looking 


160 An Amateur Adventuress. 

young man approached and was intro- 
duced to us as the officiating clergy- 
man. 

Mr. St. John had wished to engage 
a private parlor for the occasion, but 
Estelle, true to her character, said 
that the guests were welcome wit- 
nesses as far as she was concerned — 
the more, the merrier. So a hush fell 
upon tho^e present, while the Episco- 
pal marriage rites were performed. 
After the ceremony we descended to 
a bridal supper, and I think no meal 
ever tasted better to a famished mor- 
tal than it did to me. 

The next morning I parted from 
my friends with a very tender feeling 
in my heart for the giddy little actress, 
who in our hard experiences had dis- 
closed to me her warm, generous 
heart. I felt lonely after they had 
left, and my thoughts inadvertently 
turned to The Unknown, and I won- 
dered when I should hear from him 
again. In the afternoon I called upon 
mother’s friend, Mrs. B , and at 


Actress. 


161 


her urgent request agreed to spend a 
week with her, meanwhile informing 
my parents of my whereabouts. 


CHAPTER XII. 


TRAVELING COMPANION. 

I kept close watch of the papers 
and one day noticed an advertisement 
for a traveling companion. The 
advertiser proved to be a beautiful 
woman, well knowm in St. Louis 
society. She seemed pleased with 
me and I accepted the position eager- 
ly, delighted to have the opportunity 
of going Avith her to California. 
Upon calling upon her a second time 
I learned that I was also to assist in 
the care of her little boy, as she was 
to take this trip partly for his health. 
I saw the child for the first time when 
we were driving to the train and 
observed he looked sickly, with his 
large head, pale face and staring eyes. 
Presently the child asked his mother 
where we were going. ‘ ‘To the cars, ” 
she replied briefly. “Do you like to 
ride in the cars?” I asked, smilicg 
162 


Traveling Companion. 163 

at him. He stared at me but did not 
answer. Again the child said: “To 
the tars?” “Yes,” ansAvered his 
mother, “to the cars.” The boy 
seemed old enough to speak plainly — 
but I wondered and said nothing. 
Presently he repeated: “Doin’ to the 
tars?” and the mother did not answer. 
Again I tried to entertain the child, 
but made no more impression than if 
I were talking to a stone wall. By 
this time we had reached the depot 
and were soon on the journey which I 
had so eagerly anticipated. 

I now drew from my pockets a 
letter from The Unknown which the 
postman had handed me just as we 
were leaving the house. I opened it 
and could not repress an exclamation 
of disappointment. The letter ran 
as follows : 

“ Dear Friend : 

“ Your last letter has made 
me happy indeed. To me nothing 
could have been more welcome news 
than that you wished to see me. 


164 An Amateur Adventuress , 

The dread that you will not care for 
me when you know me as I am, has 
always held me from casting off this 
mask which I loathe. Now I fling all 
fear to the winds. Yet I pray you, 
Oh, I pray you, to be charitable. 
And let me tell you this : You will be 
shocked and disappointed when you 
see me as I am. I plan to be in St. 
Louis Wednesday night and will call 
upon you then. May the Fates be 
kind to me ! 

“For’the last time I sign myself, 
“The Unknown.” 

This was Wednesday! I was in 
despair. “It’s my fate never to 
know him as a reality,” I thought, as 
the tears forced themselves to my 
eyes. His hints as to his personal 
appearance were certainly not en- 
couraging but I believed I could 
overlook any disfigurement in so dear 
a friend. 

We had ridden only a couple of 
hours when I discovered that, instead 
of being traveling companion to a 
bright society woman I was traveling 
nurse to a poor little epileptic idiot ! 


Traveling Companion. 165 

The child’s mother I found to be a 
soured, worldly woman, whose hus- 
band was a man of evil habits and 
whose child was the offspring of 
unhappiness. 

I was given full charge of the boy 
and by means of bright-colored cards 
and balls kept him amused part 
of the time. One of his principal 
occupations was to ask the same 
question about a hundred times a day, 
until I though I should go wild. 
Then he would make the shivers run 
down my back by staring at me for 
hours at a time, with his great round, 
beady eyes. Once I grew desperate 
and shook him ; his head bobbed 
fearfully, and he punished me by 
staring at me for the rest of the day. 

One day as we were nearing San 
Francisco the child jumped up from 
his seat and fell down upon the floor 
in a fit. I was dreadfully frightened 
and called his mother, who told me to 
loosen his clothing and hold his head 
if possible. In a few moments the 


166 An Amateur Adventuress. 

paroxysms died away and the poor 
child fell into a heavy sleep. His 
mother told me that he was subject 
to such attacks and that nothing 
could he done except to try to ward 
them off with a little ammonia. 
After that, every time he would wag 
his head or jerk — and he was all the 
time jerking — I would snatch at the 
salts’ bottle and tremble all over. 

I was utterly miserable, and when 
we reached San Francisco I turned 
for comfort to my most sympathetic 
friend. The Unknown. I wrote him 
how deeply disappointed I was at 
not seeing him in St. Louis, and then 
I gave him a very doleful account 
of my trials with the little epileptic. 
I complained that fate was always 
against me and hinted darkly at the 
torments of despair. 

I enclosed a copy of our itinerary 
and wrote that I should depend upon 
his letters for strength and happiness. 
I begged him to let me know his true 
name ; adding that surely so deep a 


Traveling Companion. 167 

friendship was worthy of this confi- 
dence. I ended with the remark that 
I should look forward eagerly to 
my return in the hope of at last 
meeting him face to face. 

In San Francisco the boy’s mother 
was joined by a friend and after that 
I had the child constantly with me. 
Now I found myself jerking and 
twitching, too, very often, and, to my 
horror, I caught myself three times 
sitting and staring at the boy with 
my jaw dropped and eyes fixed in 
precisely his idiotic manner. Could 
it be, O could it be, I thought, that 
I, pictured in my lofty hopes as a 
noted writer, the talented actress, the 
skillful financier, was to dwindle into 
idiocy, conquered by a poor, feeble- 
minded child? 

I had written to The Unknown of 
the torments of despair and now, 
indeed, I realized what had been mere 
words before. For, in addition to 
the worry over the child, I gradually 
became convinced that my mysterious 


168 An Amateur Adventuress. 

friend, whose letters had become so 
essential to my happiness, had tired 
of our correspondence; for, although 
I had applied at all the larger post- 
offices along our route, not a word 
had I received from him. 

My chagrin was almost unbearable. 
But as I brooded over these matters 
on the train I realized that these 
melancholy thoughts w’ould not do. 
I must not let the boy see me unhappy, 
so I sat looking at the child and 
grinned — his very self-same, idiotic 
grin ! 

We spent five weeks in southern 
California, and while there I made the 
acquaintance of a young girl who 
was stopping with her mother at our 
hotel. Alice was a pretty, gay, senti- 
mental little thing and had hanging 
about her any number of adoring 
young men. Among these was one 
older than the others, a tall man with 
piercing black eyes and a monstrous 
black moustache. His appearance 
reminded me of a stage villain and 


Traveling Companion. 169 

his attentions to Alice had something 
clandestine about them which gave 
me a feeling of uneasiness. 

It was evident to me, moreover, 
that the little heiress secretly favored 
the dark man more than the others. 
Twice while taking an evening airing 
in the hotel gardens after my charge 
had gone to sleep I heard a rustle of 
skirts among the hushes and the dark 
stranger emerged, while some one else 
was tripping lightly away; and on 
another evening in my walk I came 
upon these two talking earnestly 
together. 

Meanwhile I had received a letter 
from Estelle which greatly increased 
my suspicions, for she wrote that 
the rascally husband of a friend of 
hers had followed a young heiress to 
California, and her description of the 
latter was an exact description of 
little Alice. 

Finally, I awoke one night with a 
start and a grewsome feeling took 
possession of me as of some impend- 


170 An Amateur Adventuress. 

ing calamity. Too uneasy to remain 
in bed, I hastily dressed, myself and 
crept softly down to the hotel gar- 
dens, to soothe my nerves in the cool 
night air. 

As I sat concealed in the shadow 
of a tree, a slight figure flitted past 
who, I intuitively felt, was Alice. 
Still keeping in the shadow, I fol- 
lowed her out of the garden and sev- 
eral blocks down the street, and saw 
her finally enter a waiting carriage 
which was immediately driven rapid- 
ly away. 

I was now in front of a livery 
stable and no time "was to be lost. I 
ordered a carriage and driver and 
within three minutes was riding post- 
haste after the others. We took the 
best road as the one probably chosen, 
and finally came in sight of the dash- 
ing vehicle ahead. 

As we were doing our best to gain 
on them, we heard a rumble of wheels 
behind us and were ordered to halt. 
This, to my chagrin, my driver did 


Traveling Companion. 171 

very promptly. Two men immed- 
iately came ' up who, I at once per- 
ceived, were police officers. “You 
are both arrested,” they said, while 
one seized me and the other the 
driver. The latter, however, with 
one blow of his whip freed himself 
from the officer, jumped into the 
buggy and drove rapidly away, leav- 
ing me in charge of the two men. 

I protested that I was not the one 
they wanted, but that she was in the 
carriage ahead. They paid no atten- 
tion to my words, however, but only 
hurried me back to the hotel. Here 
I found the guests in a great hubbub. 
When I was brought before the de- 
serted and weeping mamma she indig- 
nantly exclaimed that I was not her 
daughter at all. Hereupon the offi- 
cers glared at me and said that I was 
at least a confederate in the elope- 
ment, for they were mortified at 
their failure and were determined 
not to be wholly foiled in their pursuit. 

The mamma declared the officers’ 


172 An Amateur Adventuress. 

suggestion only too likely, as I had 
gained quite a hold on her daughter, 
although she disapproved very much 
of this intimacy with a common nurse. 
Hereupon I bristled up and offered 
to produce Estelle’s letter to show 
my true position in the matter. “If 
you had such a letter, why did you 
not tell me long ago?” asked the 
angry mother. “Why did you not 
inform her mother of her elopement 
instead of going after her yourself?” 
asked the incensed guests. “Because 
I was an idiot!” I answered bitterly, 
for now for the first time I perceived 
the folly of my escapade. 

In spite of my protests I was taken 
to the police station to remain over 
night and await developments. It 
seemed to me a horrible nightmare as 
I sat in the stuffy little room with 
the faintly flickering gas, the drunk- 
en prisoners on the other side tumb- 
ling against the wall and uttering 
oaths or singing snatches of obscene 
songs. This was the greatest morti- 


Traveling Companion. 173 

fication of my life, and my shame and 
indignation drew hot tears from my 
eyes. 

At daylight a dapper young report- 
er came in with a leer on his face, 
and looked me over as if I were some 
sort of curious animal. He asked me 
what I had to say for myself, and 
hinted that he had heard the other 
side at the hotel. I curtly replied 
that I had nothing to say, and bade 
him good morning. He raised his 
eyebrows, gave a prolonged whistle 
and went away. 

Soon afterward I was informed 
that some young man at the hotel 
had gone bail for my appearance, and 
I was released. I found my charge 
none the worse for my absence and, 
to my surprise, his mother did not 
mention the matter to me at all. 

During the day, news was brought 
that the eloping couple had been 
caught in a neighboring town, and 
by night Alice was returned to her 
mother’s arms. One of the daily 


174 An Amateur Adventuress. 

papers had the following account of 
the escapade: — 

FLED IN THE NIGHT ! 

“The guests of Hotel were 

thrown into a furor of excitement 
last night by the discovery of the 

the elopement of Miss Alice F , a 

charming young heiress, with Wm. 
B. D. — — , a mysterious stranger 
who has been paying her marked 
attention of late. The mother is 
prostrated with grief and has the 

sympathy of everyone, as Mr. D 

is supposed to have a wife in the 
East. A humorous phase of the 
affair was the sensational pursuit of 
the couple by a romantic nurse girl, 
who was evidently a victim of yellow- 
back literature and hoped to make a 
heroine of herself by her exploit. 
The police, however, believing her an 
accomplice in the flight, arrested her, 
and she is now languishing in jail.” 

I thought I saw in this the hand 
of the impudent young reporter, who 
called at the police station. “ Brazen- 


Traveling Companion. 175 

faced wretch !” I muttered to myself 
as I read the paragraph. “How glad 
I am that I am no longer a reporter!” 
and then I buried my head in my 
pillow and cried, for my charge was 
asleep and I must not wake him. To 
my great relief, we left town the 
next day and crossed the Mexican 
line. 

We had intended to spend a month 
in Mexico, but as we traveled, the 
child seemed to grow weaker and the 
epileptic attacks became more fre- 
quent. Finally, the mother decided 
that I should return to St. Louis with 
him, while she completed her proposed 
trip. One can scarcely imagine how 
I dreaded traveling with the child 
alone. The second night on the cars 
he was very sick and I found no doc- 
tor to consult. The next night he 
was again taken very ill and I stopped 
over at New Orleans, that he might 
have a doctor’s care. He was so ill 
that I telegraphed his father and 
mother concerning his condition. His 


176 An Amateur Adventuress, 

mother telegraphed me to give him 
the best nursing, and his father 
ordered me to bring him home. There- 
fore in a few days I took a boat up 
the Mississippi. The child was more 
comfortable here than in the cars, and 
besides had the constant attention of 
the doctor. The latter gave me no 
hope of the boy’s ultimate recovery. 

We arrived in St. Louis after what 
seemed to me an endless journey. 
When we finally reached his home 
the poor boy was put to bed and the 
family physician summoned. He 
thought the end a matter of only a 
few days, though, possibly, the child 
might live for weeks. 

For three weeks he lingered, and 
the weaker he grew the more he clung 
to me. My heart was deeply touched 
and softened. I began to be less 
selfish and to realize that the love 
of a human being, even of a feeble- 
minded child, is a prize to treasure 
tenderly. I loved the child more and 
more and, when one morning I awoke 


Traveling Companion. 177 

from a short nap to find his little 
limbs straightened and his pinched 
face peaceful in death, I wept for 
my loss, but rejoiced that the boy 
was free. The mother arrived that 
day, greatly stricken in conscience 
as she had not believed the child as 
sick as I had represented. 

On the day of the funeral the post- 
man brought me a letter and my hand 
shook as I opened it, for it was from 
The Unknown. He wrote: 

*■ ‘ My Dear Friend : 

“You have been wondering at my 
long silence and have undoubtedly 
been chiding me as a faithless friend. 
How I grieve that you should have 
had apparent cause for such unhappy 
thoughts ! You shall know the truth 
at once. When your letter from San 
Francisco reached me I was very ill 
indeed. Two weeks ago I had recov- 
ered sufficiently to read it, and I 
believe my rapid convalescence since 
that time is mainly due to its cheering 
influence. 

“ I am far from hard and unfeeling, 
dear friend, when I say that your 


178 A91 Amateur Adventuress. 

bitter disappointment at not seeing 
me was sweet news to me indeed. 
Words will not describe my state of 
mind when I reached St. Louis that 
Wednesday night and found you gone, 
but I think you will understand how 
I felt! 

“I am sorry that you have found 
the poor, blighted little soul under 
your charge such a trial. I have 
just learned that the child is very ill 
indeed and that you are with him in 
St. Louis. May you find some sweet 
solace in your tender care of him and 
in his clinging affection for you. 

“I long to put an end to your 
troubles, but I hardly dare to hope 
for that which will give me so much 
happiness. I am eager for the time 
when I may see you. Then you will 
see my face, but my heart is written 
out here before you. 

“Your devoted friend, 

“The Unknown.” 

My former bitter thoughts were all 
dispelled by the strange new joy 
which welled up in my heart as I 
read this letter. “He loves me, he 
really does love me ! ” I whispered. 
Three, four times, I read the precious 


Traveling Companion. 179 

words. My cheeks burned as I 
thought of my unworthy censure of 
this dear friend, and I felt a sharp 
pang of conscience in remembering 
that my last letter was full of com- 
plaints of the little charge who now 
lay cold in death. Again I read the 
letter and my shame and sorrow were 
forgotten in the all-absorbing power 
of love. 

I scanned the letter again and again 
until I knew each phrase by heart. 
I even noticed that in his earnestness 
The Unknown had used the word 
“indeed” three times, and I remem- 
bered that George had made frequent 
use of that word in his letters two 
years before. Then, strange to say, 
I dropped a tear, yes, in the midst of 
my happicess at this newly found 
glory of my life, I dropped just one 
tear for the boy friend, George, whom 
I had never appreciated in the old 
ambitious days. Wonderful the 
power of love in softening a hard and 
selfish heart — the love of a weak and 


180 An Amateur Adventuress. 

clinging child and the love of a strong 
and noble man ! This power unsealed 
my eyes and a broader and richer life 
opened up before me. But I felt weak, 
O so miserably weak and worthless ! 
My nerves had been unstrung by the 
long strain and that night I cried 
myself to sleep like a child. 


CHAPTER XIII. 


HOME. 

Immediately after the funeral I 
went home, utterly worn out. On 
the second evening after my arrival, 
a card was brought up to me, bearing 
the words, “Your Unknown Friend.” 
Trembling, I kissed it and pressed it 
to my heart. At last, at last, I 
should know him face to face, my 
friend, my lover, for I now dared 
call him so. As soon as I could calm 
myself I went into the parlor. There 
he was, goggles and all ; and his slouch 
hat lay on the table beside him! 
Somehow this gave me a shock, for I 
had expected to see him without this 
mask. However, I cast aside the 
feeling and extended both hands to 
him in welcome. He took them, as I 
thought, tenderly, cleared his throat 
and said in his husky voice that he 
was delighted to see me once again. 

181 


182 An Amateur Adventuress, 

Just then the doorbell rang and he 
started and clutched his hat. Two 
school friends, a young man and 
woman, were ushered in. 

I was intensely annoyed at their 
arrival just at this moment, but tried 

to greet them cordially. “Mr. , 

Mr. said I, embarrassed. 

“Mr. Conkle and Miss Givens, 

Mr. -j” “Jones,” said my friend, 

clearing his throat. I believe I must 
have turned pale at this commonplace 
name. Miss Givens, who had noticed 
my embarrassment, said, to console 
me, that she never could think of a 
name either, when introducing 
people, and she shook hands with the 
so-called Mr. Jones very cordially. 
I noticed, however, that he was very 
nervous as he greeted them, and 
cleared his throat continually. 

Then followed the most unsatis- 
factory evening I ever passed in my 
life. My friends asked me many 
questions about my experiences and 
on these and general topics we often 


Home. 


183 


appealed to The Unknown, but 
scarcely a word would he utter, 
maintaining the same, owl-like silence 
which I had always marked in him 
when in his presence. I grew so 
nervous that I thought I should fly 
to pieces. Finally, when it was past 
ten o’clock, the school friends rose to 
leave. 

“Is he deaf and dumb, or merely 
idiotic? ” Miss Givens whispered to 
me as they said good-night at the 
door. “ Neither,” I answered, but I 
could hardly keep down the sobs. 

When I returned to the parlor my 
friend was pacing up and down the 
room, hat in hand. “ You’re not 
thinking of going! ” I exclaimed. 
“Yes, I must,” he said; and he mum- 
bled something about my being tired 
and his catching a train. “I’m not 
tired,” I said, though my voice 
trembled. “What time does your 
train leave?” I added. He took 
out his watch. “ 10:30,” he replied. 
“ O dear ! ” I exclaimed, “You’ll have 


184 An Amateur Adventuress. 

to hurry, but you’ll come again? O 
when will you come again?” “I — 
I — I — don’t know just now,” said he, 
“bull’ll write you when. Goodbye.” 
He shook my hand very cordially and 
was gone. 

I rushed upstairs, flung myself on 
my bed and burst into a flood of tears. 
I knew it now. It was fate. I should 
never, never know him face to face. 

The next moring I woke up raving. 
This was the beginning of a long 
siege of nervous prostration in which 
for many weeks I was delirious. 

For awhile I was too sick to heed 
anything. Gradually, however, I 
began to notice the wall-paper, and 
discovered that it represented a 
succession of wooded hills of precisely 
the same pattern, and found myself in 
imagination climbing one hill after 
another and never being able to stop, 
for there was always another ahead 
of me. No Sisyfus ever felt more 
despairing at the base of his mountain 


Home. 


185 


than I at the foot of that infinitely 
repeated wall-paper hill. 

I also observed some bright spots 
on a stand which I presently perceived 
were flowers. I took a languid inter- 
est in watching their colors change 
day by day, as the withered were 
supplanted by fresh. Later I learned 
that George had sent the flowers, and 
I felt a dim gratitude to him for his 
thoughtfulness. I finally said that I 
wished to see him and thank him 
for his kindness, and after that he 
came frequently to read to me. 

‘ ‘ Do you ever wear a broad-brimmed 
hat, George? ” I asked him one 
morning, as he placed his close derby 
upon the table. “Not often, why? ” 
he answered, turning around sudden- 
ly. “I think it would be becoming, ’ ’ 
I replied. “ I didn’t know but that 
some Mexican with his broad-brimmed 
sombrero had captured your fancy at 
the Fair,” said George, laughing. 
“No, no Mexican,” I answered, “but 
they were wonderfully picturesque, I 


186 An Amateur Adventuress. 

will admit.” “Well, if not a Mexi- 
can, say a Spaniard,” continued 
George, pursuing the subject, “or 
even an American, provided he wore 
a broad-brimmed hat.” “Mother 
has evidently been telling tales,” I 
replied, feeling a faint warmth come 
to my cheeks. “ She has,” returned 
George, “and now I want you to tell 
me all about him yourself.” “ There’s 
not much to tell,” said I, suddenly 
embarrassed. ‘ ‘ O come, ’ ’ said George 
coaxingly, “I’m fond of romance 
myself. I’ve been counting on this 
treat and I know you won’t disappoint 
me.” 

So I related to him the many little 
episodes in connection with The 
Unknown at the Fair. I recounted 
incidents in the manner of a chronol- 
oger rather than of a romancer, I’m 
afraid, and did not make a very 
interesting tale of it, for when I had 
finished, George looked disappointed. 
“Is that all? ” he asked. “All! ” I 
exclaimed. “All for the present,” I 


Home. 


187 


added suggestively. A smile spread 
over George’s countenance as I said 
this. “ Generous soul! ” I thought. 
“What a pleasure he takes in the 
happiness of others!” But it didn’t 
quite please me after all. 

My respect for George increased 
each day. I heard callers speak of 
his sterling worth and began to realize 
what a manly fellow he was. The 
hot blood rushed to my cheeks as I, 
recalled to my mind my flippant 
speeches to him. I thought of our 
early life together and all his kindly 
deeds. I remembered former words 
of his which, I now believed, proved 
that he loved me. I did not think of 
winning him back — I neither hoped 
nor wished for that — but I resolved 
to show him what a good, true friend 
I could be to him. 

Meanwhile I received tender letters 
from The Unknown which, while not 
explaining his strange actions on the 
evening before my illness, helped to 
heal the wound which he had then 


188 An Amateur Adventuress. 

caused me. Finally, one morning I 
awoke to find a superb bouquet of 
American Beauties at my bedside, 
with a card inscribed: “ With heart- 
felt wishes for your speedy recovery. 
Your unknown, but devoted friend.” 
The flowers I learned had been 
brought from the express office in a 
box. A little later George came in 
and I said a little testily, “I wish 
The Unknown wouldn’t do so much 
for me, I don’t deserve it,” George 
answered lightly that The Unknown 
probably held a different opinion 
as to my deserts, and, besides, it 
undoubtedly gave him much pleas- 
ure to do these little favors, as he 
evidently thought a great deal of me. 

“ Would you like to have me mar- 
ry him? ” I asked. “Yes indeed,” 
answered George. “In fact, noth- 
ing would please me better,” he con- 
tinued, as he cut the leaves of the 
new book. A weight seemed to have 
fallen upon my heart as he said this. 
My gay spirits vanished at once and 


Home. 


189 


I really felt quite unhappy. “Why 
should I care? ” I asked myself, much 
provoked at my state of feeling. 

I lay in silence and thought. The 
Unknown as a remote ideal, was 
delightful and would ever remain so. 
I loved him and revered him as I 
might a hero in a hook, but I no more 
desired to marry him than I would 
any novelist’s abstract hero. Indeed, 
when in his presence I had always 
had a dread of being disillusioned. 
But George was so different. George, 
with his great warm heart and broad, 
generous nature ! The truth flashed 
upon me. It was not the stranger I 
cared for, but George after all, and 
it seemed a cruel act of fate that 
George ceased to care for me as I began 
to care for him, and that he would be 
pleased at my marriage with that 
distant, though noble, abstraction. 

“ I shall never marry him, ” I said 
aloud at length. “Whom?” said 
George, laying down the book in sur- 
prise. “ The Unknown,” I answered. 


190 An Amateur Adventuress. 

“ I do not lovo him.” George looked 
positively pained. “When did you 
find that out? ” he asked in a troub- 
led voice. “Just now,” I replied. 
“I’ve been thinking about it and 
I’ve come to that conclusion.” “I’m 
afraid you’re rather fickle,” said 
George dryly, and picked up the hook 
again. “ I know I am,” I answered, and 
the tears came into my eyes and rolled 
down upon the pillow. “There, I 
shouldn’t have said a word,” said 
George as he wiped the drops tender- 
ly away. “Here’s a charnling bit 
of prose, may I read it?” and he 
turned to the hook again. He read, 
but what I never knew, for I in my 
weak state was wholly absorbed in 
choking down the sobs and stealthily 
drying my eyes. 

Soon after my discovery of my 
change of heart, I received a letter 
from The Unknown and was much 
annoyed at the tenderness therein 
displayed. George tried to tease 
me about the letter, hut I ridiculed 


Home. 


191 


it so that he soon indignantly cham- 
pioned the cause of The Unknown. 
This provoked me and I said some 
very hard things about the stranger, 
even hinting that he wore the colored 
goggles because his eyes were mutil- 
ated or diseased. George quickly 
exclaimed, “ No such thing, his eyes 
are as good as anybody’s.” — Then he 
caught his breath as if he had said 
more than he intended. “George 
Reid!” I cried in surprise; “You 
don’t mean to say that you’ve seen 
The Unknown!” “I have,” an- 
swered George. “And never told me 
until now ! ” I continued . “You never 
asked me, ’ ’ said George . ‘ ‘ Where did 
you see him and how does he look? ” 
“ I sat near him at a lecture,” said 
George. “He is about my size and 
has good grey eyes.” “ And a slouch 
hat and a bushy beard?” I asked. 
George hesitated and then replied, 
“Naturally.” “But how do you 
know he was The Unknown?” I asked, 
much puzzled. “Many people have 


192 An Amateur Adventuress. 

bushy beards and slouch hats.” 
“Well,” said George, “he confided 
in me somewhat.” “George!” I 
exclaimed, surprised. “Do you 
mean — is it possible that you — that 
you know The Unknown ! ” 

“Well,” said George cautiously, 

‘ * you know w’e both lived in Chicago . ’ ’ 
“But all the people in Chicago don’t 
know each other,” I persisted, eyeing 
him closely. George admitted that 
to be true. “When were you sick, 
George?” I demanded while a sud- 
den suspicion fired my soul. George 
screwed about uneasily on his chair. 
“ O we’ll talk about that when you’re 
well,” he said at length. “No, 
we’ll talk about it right now,” I an- 
swered. “Come here and look me 
in the eye.” George sat down on 
the bedside and looked at me as I sat 
propped up among the pillows, but 
his gaze soon wandered and he gave 
a queer little laugh. 

“Now I want you to tell me how 
and when you became acquainted 


Home. 


193 


with The Unknown,” eaid I sternly. 
“Well, the fact is, Esther,” George 
answered almost shyly, “you see, 
he and I attended the same college 
and — ,” “No, that is all a fabrica- 
tion,” I interrupted. “Perhaps he 
is a fabrication,” suggested George, 
looking at me tenderly. I gave 
George one searching glance and my 
suspicion was confirmed. 

In that moment George became 
enveloped with a new dignity to me. 
My own self looked so mean and 
puny in this new light, that I shrank 
back and, pulling the coverlet over 
my head, I burst into tears. “My 
darling,” exclaimed George, trying 
vainly to find my face amid the jumble 
of hair, hands and bedclothing. Then 
he sat down and patting the place 
where he thought my head ought to 
be, he said, “You will forgive the 
deceit, won’t you, dearest? It was 
such a temptation to watch over you 
while at the Fair, and when the Fair 
was over it was so easy to continue 


194 An Amateur Adventuress. 

the disguise! ” I heard the beseech- 
ing tone in his voice but in answer I 
could only sob like a child. Just 
then mother re-entered, and after a 
few whispered words with her, George 
went away. 

When I peered above the bedcloth- 
ing, mother had a quizzical expres- 
sion on her face, but when she saw 
me she turned away and busied her- 
self in putting in order my books 
upon the shelves. 

The next afternoon George came 
again, but I felt a strange shyness 
in his presence now that I knew his 
double personality. This quiet man 
combined at once both the Keal and 
the Ideal — The Real, whom I had so 
often snubbed in the smallness of my 
nature, and the Ideal, whom I had 
openly worshiped, as a child might 
worship a wise teacher! A happy 
light upon his face made George look 
really handsome. Neither of us 
spoke of ourselves, but he read to me 
some charming love stories in which 


Home. 


195 


he seemed to take great delight. 
When he arose to leave, he stooped 
to kiss me. “No, no, I am not 
worthy of you ! I exclaimed, and 
feebly attempted to push him away. 
He turned pale and left the room 
without a word. 

I was unworthy of him and could 
not let him claim me then, but I 
determined then and there that I 
would make myself worthy of him 
and I consecrated myself to the task 
with all the strength of my soul. 
Each morning I awoke with this 
resolve shining in my heart to guide 
me through the day. Sharp words 
died upon my lips and in the presence 
of the Spirit of Love all inclination 
towards pettishness vanished as a 
mist before the sun. Mother became 
positively happy under my cheering 
influence, and she, too, ceased com- 
plaining. A new light beamed in 
her eyes and I heard her one day 
humming to herself — a proof of light- 


196 An Amateur Adventuress. 

heartedness we had not heard for 
many a day. 

My sudden angelic mood was at 
first a matter of deep concern to my 
father, who evidently feared that I 
was rapidly approaching the Heavenly 
portals, and I occasionally heard him 
whisper anxious questions to my 
mother as to any new symptoms. 
Mother would smile an amused little 
smile and say that she thought them 
all favorable — very favorable indeed, 
and that I was improving steadily, 
(in more ways than one, I think she 
might have added.) As I gained 
strength and my cheeks took on a 
faint tinge of color, even my father’s 
fears vanished and he somehow came 
to regard George as inexplicably con- 
nected with my recovery. 

Before long I could drag myself 
about the house with the help of 
chairs, for, though eager for strength, 
I found I had as little control over 
my limbs as a creeping babe. 


Home. 


197 


At last came a balmy day in April 
and I sat, wrapped up, in the doorway, 
and breathed the outer air for the 
first time in many months. The 
warm spring sunshine heaped its 
golden blessing on me. Before me 
stood a balm-of-Gilead tree with its 
shining, upward-reaching branches, 
upon which the bright sunshine 
reflected a golden line. Beyond was 
a background of blue sky, merging 
into dove- gray near the horizon, with 
now and then a soft cloud flitting by. 
Upon the limbs were innumerable buds 
with crimson coverings for the green 
downy nestlings within, some of 
which, encouraged by the warm 
loving touch of the sun, were begin- 
ning to peer forth into the great world 
without and wonder at its beauty. 

The sparrows, chattering busy- 
bodies, were planning home-mak- 
ings for the spring. An old man 
hobbled out into the sunshine. The 
children were shouting and playing 
marbles on the sprouting turf. In 


198 An Amateur Adventuress. 

earth and air there was a scarcely 
perceptible movement as of awakening 
life. All nature was shaking herself 
after her long winter sleep and was 
settling down to the enjoyment of the 
spring — for spring was coming, — 
happy, happy spring ! 

I drew in the fresh air and smelled 
the moist earth. I was thrilled with 
the joy of being. Every moment was 
an ecstacy. I had sloughed the 
old self as a snake casts off its skin. 
This new world which T had entered 
was so beautiful and this new self 
so calm and peaceful ! 

At length down the road with 
swinging gait came a form, one I 
knew so well. He vaulted over the 
fence like a boy, dropped into my lap 
a bunch of hepaticas and spring 
beauties from the woods, and then 
Seated himself beside me and took my 
thin white hand between his strong, 
brown palms. 

My conscience still troubled me for 
the cutting remarks I had made to 


Home. 


199 


him in the days of my wayward girl- 
hood and I tried to express my repent- 
ance to him ; but he, noble-hearted 
man, would not hear my humble con- 
fessions but, patting my hand, he 
said: “Those little snubs are all 
forgotten long ago, little one, but, ” 
he added, hesitating as he looked at 
me tenderly, “I have also a confes- 
sion to make, and it is that I have 
loved you and felt for you deeply 
through all your trials and have 
longed to put an end to them — will 
you let me try now ? ” and I, strange 
to say, did not think of “ annihilat- 
ing ” myself in the life of another, 
but only nestled close to him and 
murmured a happy “Yes. ” 

Thus it happens that my happiness 
has begun and my adventures are at 
an end. 










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